Sir,

I hope you will excuse the liberty a stranger takes, and that my letter may show ground for the indulgence. It is long since I began to know your works from the “Voyage of a Naturalist” (having myself gone half round the world, and been in the East Indies for a short time in early life)—¹ I read the “Origin of Species” with great interest, and have now been reading your recent book.² I have no further scientific knowledge than educated people and litterateurs ordinarily possess—but I see there is one slight relation to it which I may claim after observing your frequent references to facts communicated by “breeders”. It so happens that I have been for many years an enthusiastic amateur-breeder of a special race of dogs—namely, Scotch Deerhounds. Not only so, but I think I may say that no one else has ever taken so much pains, or gathered so much information, in regard to this one breed of dogs—a breed in various respects quite peculiar, as you yourself incline to believe.³ I am preparing for publication a “Monograph” on the subject—and the object of my letter mainly is to state on the one hand that I might possibly be able to furnish a few facts in connection, supposing you ever to require more notes on Dogs—on the other hand to ask if you might perhaps favour me with your opinion on one or two points, should they turn up in that view while my brochure proceeds. They would be put in a single note, and your command of the whole range of such questions, as well as of books, is such that they could not trouble you.⁴

At all events I take the opportunity which may be my only one, to mention one or two trifles that occur to me at present.

Mr Scrope (quoted three or four times in your recent work) was no authority whatever on Deerhounds, as he admits, himself. The whole of that portion of his book was contributed by Mr M^c.Neill, brother of Lord Colonsay and Sir John M^c.Neill—who were the three preservers of that breed of dogs from extinction, in Europe at least.⁵

The special proportion of size between male and female deerhound is a point, perhaps, worth going into more particularly—so perhaps are their colours—the date to which the race may be traced back—also their ethnical relations & associations—with other matters.

In reference to the question whether the imagination of a (human) mother may be so affected as to influence the character of offspring—I venture to think that authentic cases of it could be proved as clearly as possible in any matter of circumstantial proof. The proof might not directly favour the “hypothesis of Pangenesis”, but might it not do so, indirectly?⁶

Hoping to be pardoned in any view of such matters, I remain, Sir, | yours obediently | George Cupples

Charles Darwin, Esq^re.