l88o.] ERASMUS DARWIN. 221 



see them. I feel sure that you would not be unjust to even 

 an insect, much less to a man. Now, you have been misled 

 by some translator, for my grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, 

 states ('Zoonomia/ vol. i. p. 183, 1794) that it was a wasp 

 (guepe) which he saw cutting off the wings of a large fly. I 

 have no doubt that you are right in saying that the wings are 

 generally cut off instinctively ; but in the case described by 

 my grandfather, the wasp, after cutting off the two ends of 

 the body, rose in the air, and was turned round by the wind ; 

 he then alighted and cut off the wings. I must believe, with 

 Pierre Huber, that insects have " une petite dose de raison." 

 In the next edition of your book, I hope that you will alter 

 part of what you say about my grandfather. 



I am sorry that you are so strongly opposed to the Descent 

 theory ; I have found the searching for the history of each 

 structure or instinct an excellent aid to observation ; and 

 wonderful observer as you are, it would suggest new points to 

 you. If I were to write on the evolution of instincts, I could 

 make good use of some of the facts which you give. Permit 

 me to add, that when I read the last sentence in your book, I 

 sympathised deeply with you.* 



With the most sincere respect, 



I remain, dear Sir, yours faithfully, 



CHARLES DARWIN. 



P.S. Allow me to make a suggestion in relation to your 

 wonderful account of insects finding their way home. I for- 

 merly wished to try it with pigeons : namely, to carry the 

 insects in their paper " cornets," about a hundred paces in the 

 opposite direction to that which you ultimately intended to 

 carry them ; but before turning round to return, to put the 

 insect in a circular box, with an axle which could be made to 



* The book is intended as a father's assistant in his observations 

 memorial of the early death of on insect life. 

 M. Fabre's son, who had been his 



