From Albert Hugh Jones 17 November 1869
Shrublands, | Eltham, | S.E.
17 Nov 1869
Dear Sir,
On the other side I have much pleasure in sending you particulars as regards sexes of Lepidoptera, reared this season. I am sorry I have so few to record, but hope to do better for you next season.1
I am, Dear Sir | yours faithfully | Albert H Jones
Profr Darwin
| Lepidoptera reared from Egg. | ||||
| Eriogaster Lanestris | 73 | ♀ | 68 | ♂ |
| Orgyia Pudibunda2 | 17 | ♀ | 14 | ♂ |
| 90 | ♀ | 82 | ♂ | |
| Lepidoptera reared from Larvæ collected | ||||
| Bombyx Castrensis3 | 22 | ♀ | 32 | ♂ |
| 112 | ♀ | 114 | ♂4 | |
CD annotations
End of letter:
ink
| ♂ | ♀ |
| 364 | 3115 |
| 114 | 112 |
| 478 | 423. |
Footnotes
No query to Jones has been found. In 1868, Jones enumerated the proportion of the sexes in nine species (DAR 85: B83); see Descent 1: 313. No later correspondence with Jones has been found.
The moth Eriogaster lanestris is known as the small eggar. Orgyia Pudibunda is now Calliteara pudibunda, the pale tussock.
Bombyx castrensis is now Malacosoma castrensis, the ground lackey.
In Descent 1: 313, CD reported that Jones ‘reared imagos from 4 species’ resulting in 112 females and 114 males.
CD calculated the ratio of 364 males to 311 females as equal to 117 males to 100 females on the back of DAR 85: B83, but it is not clear where these figures came from.
Bibliography
Descent: The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1871.
Summary
Statistics on sexes of Lepidoptera reared this season. [See Descent 1: 313.]
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-6993
- From
- Albert Hugh Jones
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Eltham
- Source of text
- DAR 86: 77–8
- Physical description
- ALS 2pp †
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 6993,” accessed on
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 17
letter
