I855-J LIZARDS. 



C. Darwin to W. D. Fox. 



Down, May lyth [1855]. 



MY DEAR Fox, You will hate the very sight of my hand- 

 writing ; but after this time I promise I will ask for nothing 

 more, at least for a long time. As you live on sandy soil, 

 have you lizards at all common ? If you have, should you 

 think it too ridiculous to offer a reward for me for lizard's 

 eggs to the boys in your school ; a shilling for every half- 

 dozen, or more if rare, till you got two or three dozen and 

 send them to me ? If snake's eggs were brought in mistake 

 it would be very well, for I want such also ; and we have 

 neither lizards nor snakes about here. My object is to see 

 whether such eggs will float on sea water, and whether they 

 will keep alive thus floating for a month or two in my cellar. 

 I am trying experiments on transportation of all organic 

 beings that I can ; and lizards are found on every island, and 

 therefore I am very anxious to see whether their eggs stand 

 sea water. Of course this note need not be answered, with- 

 out, by a strange and favourable chance, you can some day 

 answer it with the eggs. Your most troublesome friend, 



C. DARWIN. 



C. Darwin to J. D. Hooker. 



April I3th [1855]. 



... I have had one experiment some little time in pro- 

 gress, which will, I think, be interesting, namely, seeds in salt 

 water immersed in water of 32-33, which I have and shall 

 long have, as I filled a great tank with snow. When I wrote 

 la'st I was going to triumph over you, for my experiment had 

 in a slight degree succeeded; but this, with infinite baseness, 

 I did not tell, in hopes that you would say that you would 

 eat all the plants which I could raise after immersion. It is 

 very aggravating that I cannot in the least remember what 

 you did formerly say that made me think you scoffed at the 

 experiments vastly; for you now seem to view the experi- 



