4 o8 GROWTH OF THE ' ORIGIN.' [1855 



P.S. Amongst all sorts of odds and ends, with which I 

 am amusing myself, I am comparing the seeds of the varia- 

 tions of plants. I had formerly some wild cabbage seeds, 

 which I gave to some one, was it to you ? It is a thousand to 

 one it was thrown away, if not I should be very glad of a 

 pinch of it. 



[The following extract from a letter to Mr. Fox (March 

 27th, 1855) refers to the same subject as the last letter, and 

 gives some account of the " species work : " " The way I 

 shall kill young things will be to put them under a tumbler 

 glass with a teaspoon of ether or chloroform, the glass being 

 pressed down on some yielding surface, and leave them for 

 an hour or two, young have such power of revivication. (I 

 have thus killed moths and butterflies.) The best way would 

 be to send ihem as you procure them, in pasteboard chip-box 

 by post, on which you could write and just tie up with string ; 

 and you will really make me happier by allowing me to keep 

 an account of postage, &c. Upon my word I can hardly 

 believe that any one could be so good-natured as to take such 

 trouble and do such a very disagreeable thing as kill babies ; 

 and I am very sure I do not know one soul who, except your- 

 self, would do so. I am going to ask one thing more ; should 

 old hens of any above poultry (not duck) die or become so 

 old as to be useless, I wish you would send her to me per rail, 

 addressed to " C. Darwin, care of Mr. Acton, Post-office, 

 Bromley, Kent." Will you keep this address? as shortest 

 way for parcels. But I do not care so much for this, as I 

 could buy the old birds dead at Baily to make skeletons. I 

 should have written at once even if I had not heard from 

 you, to beg you not to take trouble about pigeons, for Yarrell 

 has persuaded me to attempt it, and I am now fitting up a 

 place, and have written to Baily about prices, &c., &c. Some- 

 time (when you are better) I should like very much to hear a 

 little about your "Little Call Duck " ; why so called ? And 

 where you got it ? and what it is like ? . . . I was so ignorant 

 I did not even know there were three varieties of Dorking 

 fowl : how do they differ ? . . . 



