To Francis Galton 30 December [1872]1
Down, | Beckenham, Kent.
Dec 30th
My dear Galton
A young Mr. Balfour, a friend of my sons, is staying here.2 He is very clever & full of zeal for Nat. Hist.— He has been transplanting bits of skins between brown & white Rats, in relation to Pangenesis!3 He wants to try for several successive generations the same experiment with Rabbits.4 Hence he wants to know which colours breed truest. I have, of course, recommended Silver-greys.— What other colour breeds true? Can you tell me? I think white or albinoes had better be avoided. Do any grey breeds, of nearly the colour of the wild kind, breed true? Will you be so very kind as to let me hear.
I much enjoyed my short glimpse of you in London.5
Ever yours | C. Darwin
Footnotes
Summary
F. M. Balfour wants to experiment on Pangenesis. Asks FG to recommend coloured rabbits that breed true.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-8697
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Francis Galton
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- UCL Library Services, Special Collections (GALTON/1/1/9/5/7/13)
- Physical description
- ALS 2pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 8697,” accessed on 18 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-8697.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 20
