76 Life and Letters of Francis Galton 



carnations flourished. Undoubtedly it was a spacious, pleasant home 

 and one round which many childish memories would grow up still more 

 spaciously and pleasantly (see Plate XLV). 



It is in the essence of childhood to have but one real ' home ' and 

 we may question whether Galton ever felt to 44 Lansdowne Place, 

 Leamington, as he felt towards the Larches. 



Francis, as we have seen, carne back at the end of June to England, 

 and on July 11 following, a month after his grandfather's death, we 

 find him on what was probably a last visit to Duddeston : 



MY DEAR PAPA, 



Last night I caught four perch and this morning I had much better luck for 

 I caught in about the same time three perch and four roach. When I was corning to 

 Nole a carriage arrived just before in which was a Lord ; as the servants were handing 

 his wife out all of a sudden she fell on the pavement and was hurt very much indeed. 

 I and Adele made a very good dinner on the biscuits which I brought with me. Good 



bye. Aunt Sophia sends her best love to all. 



F. 



Were the birds (see p. 41) still on the lake as Francis caught 

 his fish ? Francis' reputation as a fisherman seems to have been a 

 family joke, and two years later provoked a retort in sketch caricatures 

 of a shooting expedition of his brother Darwin (see Plate XLVI). 



" DEAR DAR, so I hear that no horses were strained to death in carrying your game, 

 but however I send you some caricatures below." 



The sketches are somewhat crude, giving little sense of Francis 

 Galton's later power with his pencil. They open with Darwin giving 

 instructions to Ben to provide a waggon with four strong horses to 

 bring the game home, then we see Darwin in a gig with keeper and 

 guns and three dogs. Thirdly comes the death of one dog, and the 

 partridges' mocking flight, " Hee, Hee, Hee ! " Fourthly the arrival of 

 the waggon and waggoner " I have brought the waggon and four stout 

 horses." " Why I have only been able to kill my dog," says Darwin ; 

 " however buy 1 hare and 6 brace of partridges and put them in the 

 cart." The last picture represents the return of the sportsman to the 

 family circle : " Well, what news ? " says Mamma. "Why, I couldn't kill 

 anything but the dog, it must have been the fault of my gun ; but at 

 the end I murdered 6 brace and 1 hare." Chorus: " Hum, bad Carpen- 

 ters always complain of their Tools." Papa : " Who was it I saw 

 buying partridges for one Darwin Galton ? " 



