54 MAN [Chap. VIII 



Letter 423 margin. Could you not get an accurate sketch of the 

 direction of the hair of the tip of an ear ? 



The fact which you communicate about the goat-sucker 

 is very curious. About the difference in the power of flight 

 in Dorkings, etc., may it not be due merely to greater weight 

 of body in the adults ? 



1 am so old that I am not likely ever again to write on 

 general and difficult points in the theory of Evolution. 



I shall use what little strength is left me for more confined 

 and easy subjects. 



Letter 424 To Mrs. Talbot. 



Mrs. Emily Talbot was secretary of the Education Department of 

 the American Social Science Association, Boston, Mass. A circular and 

 register was issued by the Department, and answers to various questions 

 were asked for. See Nature, April 28th, p. 617, 188 1. The above letter 

 was published in The Field Naturalist, Manchester, 1883, p. 5, edited by 

 Mr. W. E. Axon, to whom we are indebted for a copy. 



Down. July 19th [1881 ?] 



In response to your wish, I have much pleasure in ex- 

 pressing the interest which I feel in your proposed investigation 

 on the mental and bodily development of infants. Very little 

 is at present accurately known on this subject, and I believe 

 that isolated observations will add but little to our knowledge, 

 whereas tabulated results from a very large number of ob- 

 servations, systematically made, would probably throw much 

 light on the sequence and period of development of the 

 several faculties. This knowledge would probably give a 

 foundation for some improvement in our education of young 

 children, and would show us whether the system ought to be 

 followed in all cases. 



I will venture to specify a few points of inquiry which, as 

 it seems to me, possess some scientific interest. For instance, 

 does the education of the parents influence the mental powers 

 of their children at any age, either at a very early or some- 

 what more advanced stage ? This could perhaps be learned 

 by schoolmasters and mistresses if a large number of children 

 were first classed according to age and their mental attain- 

 ments, and afterwards in accordance with the education of their 

 parents, as far as this could be discovered. As observation 



