48 GROWTH OF THE 'ORIGIN.' [1855. 



about the young pigeons ; and anyhow do write before very 

 long. 



My dear Fox, your sincere old friend, 



C. Darwin. 



P.S. Amongst all sorts of odds and ends, with which I am 

 amusing myself, I am comparing the seeds of the variations 

 of plants. I had formerly some wild cabbage seeds, which I 

 gave to some one, was it to you ? It is a thousand to one it 

 was thrown away, if not I should be very glad of a pinch of it. 



[The following extract from a letter to Mr. Fox (March 27th, 

 1855) refers to the same subject as the last letter, and gives 

 some account of the " species work :" " The way I shall kill 

 young things will be to put them under a tumbler glass with a 

 teaspoon of ether or chloroform, the glass being pressed down 

 on some yielding surface, and leave them for an hour or two, 

 young have such power of revivification. (I have thus killed 

 moths and butterflies.) The best way would be to send them 

 as you procure them, in pasteboard chip-boxes by post, on 

 which you could write and just tie up with string ; and you will 

 really make me happier by allowing me to keep an account 

 of postage, &c. Upon my word I can hardly believe that 

 any one could be so good-natured as to take such trouble 

 and do such a very disagreeable thing as kill babies ; and I 

 am very sure I do not know one soul who, except yourself, 

 would do so. I am going to ask one thing more ; should 

 old hens of any above poultry (not duck) die or become so 

 old as to be 7iseless, I wish you would send her to me per 

 rail, addressed to ' C. Darwin, care of Mr. Acton, Post-office, 

 Bromley, Kent.' Will you keep this address ? as shortest 

 way for parcels. But I do not care so much for this, as I 

 could buy the old birds dead at Baily's to make skeletons. 

 I should have written at once even if I had not heard from 

 you, to beg you not to take trouble about pigeons, for Yarrell 

 has persuaded me to attempt it, and I am now fitting up a 



