To Gerard Krefft 12 July [1873]1
Down, | Beckenham, Kent.
July 12th.
My dear Sir
I write merely to thank you for your letter of May 3d, enclosing several curious photographs. I received, also, a little time ago the wonderful photograph of the natives of Queensland, & I never saw such hideous wretches.— The natives of New Guinea are Apollos in comparison.2
As Mr Wallace is the great authority on protective imitation, I sent him the Photo of the cocoon with your account, as it seems a very remarkable case.—3
Prof. Huxley was here the other day, but has just gone abroad for two months, as he has been much out of health: on his return I will tell him about the hopping Lizards.4
Pray believe me | yours sincerely | Ch. Darwin
P.S. As you are so kind as to offer me information, will you observe & tell me, whether during rainy weather, (or at other times in damp & shady valleys) the worms throw up on the grass-lawns or plains, or in the woods many vermiform castings or little heaps of their earthy excrement? You will remember the appearance of lawns in the Spring & autumn in Europe.— In India I hear that the ground is covered during the rainy season with gigantic castings.— Is Australia too dry for the worms thus to act?
I have opened my letter to insert this, & shd. be grateful for an answer—
Footnotes
Summary
Thanks JLGK for photos of natives of Queensland.
Asks if he can observe whether worms throw up castings in wet weather.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-8975
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Johann Louis Gerard (Gerard) Krefft
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- Mitchell Library, Sydney (MLMSS 5828)
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 8975,” accessed on 24 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-8975.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 21