84 MAN [CHAP. VIII 



Letter 447 Did some ancient progenitor of the Weirs and Jenners 

 puzzle his brains about the mating of birds, and has the 

 question become indelibly fixed in all your minds ? 



Letter 44 8 To A. R. Wallace. 



Aug. i Qth [1868]. 



I had become, before my nine weeks' horrid interruption 

 of all work, extremely interested in sexual selection, and was 

 making fair progress. In truth it has vexed me much to find 

 that the farther I get on the more I differ from you about the 

 females being dull-coloured for protection. I can now hardly 

 express myself as strongly, even, as in the Origin. This has 

 much decreased the pleasure of my work. In the course of 

 September, if I can get at all stronger, I hope to get Mr. J. 

 Jenner Weir (who has been wonderfully kind in giving me 

 information) to pay me a visit, and I will then write for the 

 chance of your being able to come, and I hope bring with you 

 Mrs. Wallace. If I could get several of you together it would 

 be less dull for you, for of late I have found it impossible to 

 talk with any human being for more than half an hour, except 

 on extraordinary good days. 



On September i6th Darwin wrote to Wallace on the same subject : 



You will be pleased to hear that I am undergoing severe 

 distress about protection and sexual selection ; this morning 

 I oscillated with joy towards you ; this evening I have swung 

 back to old position, out of which I fear I shall never get. 



Letter 449 To A. R. Wallace. 1 



Down, Sept. 23rd [1868]. 



I am very much obliged for all your trouble in writing me 

 your long letter, which I will keep by me and ponder over. 

 To answer it would require at least 200 folio pages ! If you 

 could see how often I have rewritten some pages you would 

 know how anxious I am to arrive as near as I can to the 

 truth. I lay great stress on what I know takes place under 

 domestication ; I think we start with different fundamental 

 notions on inheritance. I find it is most difficult, but not, I 

 think, impossible to see how, for instance, a few red feathers 



1 From Life and Letter -s, Vol. III., p. 123. 



