120 EVOLUTION [Chai-. Ill 



Letter 71 third volume of the Journal of that Society. Sir C. Lycll and 

 Dr. Hooker, who both knew of my work— the latter having 

 read my sketch of 1844 — honoured me by thinking it 

 advisable to publish, with Mr. Wallace's excellent memoir, 

 some brief extracts from my manuscripts." 



Letter 72 To J. D. Hooker. 



Down, May 3rd, 1859. 



With respect to reversion, I have been raking up vague 

 recollections of vague facts ; and the impression on my mind 

 is rather more in favour of reversion than it was when you 

 were here. 



In my abstract 1 I give only a paragraph on the general 

 case of reversion, though I enter in detail on some cases of 

 reversion of a special character. I have not as yet put all 

 my facts on this subject in mass, so can come to no definite 

 conclusion. But as single characters ma)- revert, I must say 

 that I see no improbability in several reverting. As I do not 

 believe any well-founded experiments or facts are known, 

 each must form his opinion from vague generalities. I think 

 you confound two rather distinct considerations ; a variation 

 arises from any cause, and reversion is not opposed to this, 

 but solely to its inheritance. Not but what I believe what we 

 must call perhaps a dozen distinct laws are all struggling 

 against each other in every variation which ever arises. To 

 give my impression, if I were forced to bet whether or not, 

 after a hundred generations of growth in a poor sandy soil, 

 a cauliflower and red cabbage would or would not revert to 

 the same form, I must say I would rather stake my money 

 that they would. But in such a case the conditions of life 

 are changed (and here comes the question of direct influence 

 of condition), and there is to be no selection, the comparatively 

 sudden effect of man's selection are left to the free play of 

 reversion. 



In short, I dare not come to any conclusion without 

 comparing all facts which I have collected, and I do not 

 think there arc many. 



Please do not say to any one that I thought my book on 



1 1 lie Origin of Species. 



