234 DARWIN'S LETTERS TO R. TRIMEN 



plex. If you know of any case in Lepidoptera of ocelli 

 regularly confined to the male. 1 I sh d much like to hear 

 of it, as it would illustrate a little better the case of the 

 peacock, which has often been thrown in my teeth. 

 I doubt whether such cases exist, and if I do not hear 

 I will understand that you know of no such case. 

 Again let me thank you cordially for your great kind- 

 ness, and I remain, 



Yours very sincerely 



CH. DARWIN 



11. 

 Written ly Mrs. Darwin, signed by Charles Darwin. 



DOWN. 



BROMLEY. 

 KENT. S.E. 

 Feb 12 [1868.] 

 MY DEAR MR TRIMEN 



I shall be very happy to put my name down for 

 your brother's book and he can hand over the enclosed 

 paper to Hardwick. 2 



Since you were here I have become much interested 

 on the relative numbers of the males and females of all 

 animals. I am particularly anxious for other cases like 

 that from [A. R.] Wallace which you gave me of females 

 in excess ; 3 or to know that such cases are rare. If you 

 can, I am sure you will aid me. 4 Do you give many 



1 Mr. Trimen informs me that he was unable to discover any 

 such case. 



2 Mr. Trimen thinks that the book must have been the Flora 

 of Middlesex (octavo, London : 1869) written and published by 

 Henry Trimen and Sir William Thiselton-Dyer. 



3 See p. 233 n. 1. 



4 .This letter enclosed a slip of paper which is evidently Trimen's 

 copy of the list sent by him in reply to Darwin's inquiry. It con- 

 tains a full list of nineteen species of South African butterflies in 

 which males are more numerous than females, and of three species 



