Owen, Richard. 1863. Ape-origin of man as tested by the brain. Athenæum, 21 February 1863, pp. 262-3.
Matches: 1 hit
- … 262-3. https://archive.org/details/sim_athenaeum-uk_1863-02-21_1843/page/262/mode/2up 13 …
From Francis Darwin to Thomas Edison [20–9 December 1877]
Summary
His father asks him to thank TAE for sending the curious case of the insects [see 11271].
Author: | Francis Darwin |
Addressee: | Thomas Alva Edison |
Date: | [20–9 Dec 1877] |
Classmark: | Thomas Edison National Park (Edison Document File, 1878 Folder: (D-78-02) Edison, T.A. – General) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11312A |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Edison Document File, 1878 Folder: (D-78-02) Edison, T.A. – General) Francis Darwin Down [ …
From Asa Gray 4 August 1862
Summary
Gives J. T. Rothrock’s observations on the structure and fertility of the two forms of Houstonia. Mentions his own observations on Rhexia virginica and Gymnadenia tridentata.
Author: | Asa Gray |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 4 Aug 1862 |
Classmark: | DAR 110 (ser. 2): 67–9 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3679 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … pollen .020. x .017 Short-styled " .036 x .02 : in the fresh plants, but dry. Distended …
From T. L. Brunton 28 February 1874
Summary
Reports negative results of his experiments on digestion of chlorophyll by Drosera and by animals. [See Insectivorous plants, p. 126.]
Sends references for chondrin.
Author: | Thomas Lauder Brunton, 1st baronet |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 28 Feb 1874 |
Classmark: | DAR 58.1: 47–8, DAR 160: 340 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-9322 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … and water 2 ........... dogs stomach with dilute HCl .02% 3 ........... glycerine & water …
letter | (3) |
bibliography | (1) |
people | (1) |
Brunton, T. L. | (1) |
Darwin, Francis | (1) |
Gray, Asa | (1) |
Darwin, C. R. | (2) |
Edison, T. A. | (1) |
Darwin, C. R. | (2) |
Brunton, T. L. | (1) |
Darwin, Francis | (1) |
Edison, T. A. | (1) |
Gray, Asa | (1) |
Featured in Commentary

The Lyell–Lubbock dispute
Summary
In May 1865 a dispute arose between John Lubbock and Charles Lyell when Lubbock, in his book Prehistoric times, accused Lyell of plagiarism. The dispute caused great dismay among many of their mutual scientific friends, some of whom took immediate action…
Matches: 3 hits

Darwin in letters, 1879: Tracing roots
Summary
Darwin spent a considerable part of 1879 in the eighteenth century. His journey back in time started when he decided to publish a biographical account of his grandfather Erasmus Darwin to accompany a translation of an essay on Erasmus’s evolutionary ideas…
Matches: 7 hits
- … his wife sent birthday greetings and a photograph of their 2-year-old son named Darwin, who, they …
- … materialism”’ ( letter from Francis Darwin, [after 2 June 1879 ]). As one of Darwin’s most ardent …
- … other than Darwin’s sister Caroline (who was around 2 years old at the time of Erasmus’s death). …
- … that plants were ‘mere machines’, reminding Francis on 2 June that he had long thought that …
- … for certain movements’ ( second letter to Francis Darwin, 2 July [1879] ). Sachs guarded …
- … for” &c are incessant’, Darwin joked on 2 July (first letter) . Much of the time, however, …
- … their ‘tremendous journey’ ( letter to Francis Darwin, [2 August 1879] ). The journey proved more …

Darwin in letters, 1878: Movement and sleep
Summary
In 1878, Darwin devoted most of his attention to the movements of plants. He investigated the growth pattern of roots and shoots, studying the function of specific organs in this process. Working closely with his son Francis, Darwin devised a series of…
Matches: 9 hits
- … in plants , pp. 112–13). He explained to Francis on 2 July : ‘I go on maundering about the …
- … tomorrow to Wurzburg,’ Darwin wrote to Thiselton-Dyer on 2 June , ‘& work by myself will be …
- … [before 17 July 1878] ), ‘a strong horizontal axis about 2 feet long which goes round by clockwork …
- … animal instinct and intelligence. ‘Frank’s son, nearly 2 years old (& we think much of his …
- … more expertly. ‘I conclude that a child—just under 2 years is inferior in intellect to a monkey.’ …
- … & a baby in your house!’ ( letter to G. J. Romanes, 2 September [1878] ). More …
- … seems to me quite ridiculous’ ( letter to John Price, 2 April [1878] ). When a wealthy businessman …
- … was ‘deeply gratified’, remarking to Skertchly on 2 March : ‘It is the greatest possible …
- … that such checks had been in action during the last 2 or 3 centuries, or even for a shorter time in …

Darwin in letters, 1880: Sensitivity and worms
Summary
‘My heart & soul care for worms & nothing else in this world,’ Darwin wrote to his old Shrewsbury friend Henry Johnson on 14 November 1880. Darwin became fully devoted to earthworms in the spring of the year, just after finishing the manuscript of…
Matches: 4 hits
- … old and new was published). Butler wrote to Darwin on 2 January 1880 for an explanation: …
- … me is to hide the enlarged root, at least at first, beneath 2½ inches of soil as a protection …
- … I should be greatly obliged’ ( letter from W. Z. Seddon, 2 February 1880) . Darwin sympathised …
- … leave an indelible trace’ ( letter from Jules Rouquette, 2 April 1880 ). Despite Darwin’s …

Darwin in letters, 1856-1857: the 'Big Book'
Summary
In May 1856, Darwin began writing up his 'species sketch’ in earnest. During this period, his working life was completely dominated by the preparation of his 'Big Book', which was to be called Natural selection. Using letters are the main…
Matches: 3 hits

Darwin in letters, 1875: Pulling strings
Summary
‘I am getting sick of insectivorous plants’, Darwin confessed in January 1875. He had worked on the subject intermittently since 1859, and had been steadily engaged on a book manuscript for nine months; January also saw the conclusion of a bitter dispute…
Matches: 8 hits
- … on some Marantaceous plant to make out meaning of 2 sets of differently coloured stamens.’ At …
- … and a mere mouthpiece of ‘Jesuitical Rome’ ( Academy , 2 January 1875, pp. 16–17). ‘How grandly …
- … sold some 1700 Copies!!!’ After the initial publication on 2 July, two further printings were needed …
- … you were born (letter from E. F. Lubbock, [after 2 July] 1875). Back over old …
- … on her sister. He had described the case in Variation 2: 14–16, suggesting that such regrowth …
- … the eyes of one variety into another ( Variation 2d ed. 1: 420–4, 2: 360). Darwin had encouraged …
- … at its sensitiveness. If you blow gently at it from 1 or 2 feet distance, it absorbs moisture & …
- … meeting: ‘I did so enjoy my afternoon’, she wrote on 2 July , ‘and if it were not too much to ask …
Darwin in letters, 1877: Flowers and honours
Summary
Ever since the publication of Expression, Darwin’s research had centred firmly on botany. The year 1877 was no exception. The spring and early summer were spent completing Forms of flowers, his fifth book on a botanical topic. He then turned to the…
Matches: 4 hits
- … his son to continue the observations. ‘I got out within 2 minutes of a very heavy shower’, William …
- … & make him think better of his work’. Hooker replied on 2 March , ‘I cannot tell you with …
- … covering the German debate (letters to W. E. Gladstone, 2 October 1877 and 25 October [1877] …
- … (Trollope 1867; letter to G. J. Romanes, [1 and 2 December 1877] ). Dispute and …

Visiting the Darwins
Summary
'As for Mr Darwin, he is entirely fascinating…' In October 1868 Jane Gray and her husband spent several days as guests of the Darwins, and Jane wrote a charming account of the visit in a sixteen-page letter to her sister. She described Charles…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Complete text of the letter from Jane Gray to Susan Loring, 28 October – 2 November 1868: …

The writing of "Origin"
Summary
From a quiet rural existence at Down in Kent, filled with steady work on his ‘big book’ on the transmutation of species, Darwin was jolted into action in 1858 by the arrival of an unexpected letter (no longer extant) from Alfred Russel Wallace outlining a…
Matches: 3 hits

The evolution of honeycomb
Summary
Honeycombs are natural engineering marvels, using the least possible amount of wax to provide the greatest amount of storage space, with the greatest possible structural stability. Darwin recognised that explaining the evolution of the honey-bee’s comb…
Matches: 4 hits
- … no other place, could have been given to it’ (Kirby 1852, 2: 246). Darwin’s copy of Brougham …
- … Bees can make apparently true cylinders & spheres. (2) They never begin one cell at time always …
- … by the work of François Huber. In his copy of Huber 1814, 2: 143, he scribbled a note: ‘If the sides …
- … the latest controversies in his letter to Darwin of 2 August 1858 . The notion that the theory of …

Biodiversity and its histories
Summary
The Darwin Correspondence Project was co-sponsor of Biodiversity and its Histories, which brought together scholars and researchers in ecology, politics, geography, anthropology, cultural history, and history and philosophy of science, to explore how…
Matches: 1 hits
- … John Ray’s Wisdom of God and John Allen’s Biosphere 2 Georg Toepfer …

Darwin in letters, 1863: Quarrels at home, honours abroad
Summary
At the start of 1863, Charles Darwin was actively working on the manuscript of The variation of animals and plants under domestication, anticipating with excitement the construction of a hothouse to accommodate his increasingly varied botanical experiments…

Darwin in letters,1870: Human evolution
Summary
The year 1870 is aptly summarised by the brief entry Darwin made in his journal: ‘The whole of the year at work on the Descent of Man & Selection in relation to Sex’. Descent was the culmination of over three decades of observations and reflections on…

Darwin in letters, 1868: Studying sex
Summary
The quantity of Darwin’s correspondence increased dramatically in 1868 due largely to his ever-widening research on human evolution and sexual selection.Darwin’s theory of sexual selection as applied to human descent led him to investigate aspects of the…

British Association meeting 1860
Summary
Several letters refer to events at the British Association for the Advancement of Science held in Oxford, 26 June – 3 July 1860. Darwin had planned to attend the meeting but in the end was unable to. The most famous incident of the meeting was the verbal…
Matches: 1 hits
- … 1918, 1: 521–4); Charles Lyell (K. M. Lyell ed. 1881, 2: 335–6); John Lubbock (Hutchinson 1914, 1: …

The death of Anne Elizabeth Darwin
Summary
Charles and Emma Darwin’s eldest daughter, Annie, died at the age of ten in 1851. Emma was heavily pregnant with their fifth son, Horace, at the time and could not go with Charles when he took Annie to Malvern to consult the hydrotherapist, Dr Gully.…

Darwin in letters, 1876: In the midst of life
Summary
1876 was the year in which the Darwins became grandparents for the first time. And tragically lost their daughter-in-law, Amy, who died just days after her son's birth. All the letters from 1876 are now published in volume 24 of The Correspondence…
Matches: 3 hits
- … hypothesis, first published in 1868 ( Variation 2: 357–404). Others had attempted but failed to …
- … out that in less than a day he could type no more than ‘ 2 or 3 times as slowly as writing ’ (DAR …
- … eczema, was able to rest his mind ( letter to G. H. Darwin, 2 May [1876] ). Darwin even cautioned …

Darwin in letters, 1837–1843: The London years to 'natural selection'
Summary
The seven-year period following Darwin's return to England from the Beagle voyage was one of extraordinary activity and productivity in which he became recognised as a naturalist of outstanding ability, as an author and editor, and as a professional…
Matches: 5 hits
- … and corals by William Lonsdale ( Collected papers , 2). Darwin’s crustacean specimens, originally …
- … that he had printed and distributed ( Correspondence vol. 2, Appendix V). As P. J. Vorzimmer has …
- … his engagement (transcribed in Correspondence vol. 2, Appendix IV). During the same period he …
- … in an autobiographical fragment ( Correspondence vol. 2, Appendix III). The letters that Emma and …
- … been many thousands of years old. At the time when volume 2 of The Correspondence was published, …

Darwin on marriage
Summary
On 11 November 1838 Darwin wrote in his journal ‘The day of days!’. He had proposed to his cousin, Emma Wedgwood, and been accepted; they were married on 29 January 1839. Darwin appears to have written these two notes weighing up the pros and cons of…
Matches: 1 hits
- … First note [after 7 April 1838][1] Work finished [2] If not marry | Travel. …

Darwin in letters, 1847-1850: Microscopes and barnacles
Summary
Darwin's study of barnacles, begun in 1844, took him eight years to complete. The correspondence reveals how his interest in a species found during the Beagle voyage developed into an investigation of the comparative anatomy of other cirripedes and…