The Wallace-Darwin Correspondence 



ideas, and lias only aided in bringing more prominently- 

 forward the large proportion of the latent characters. 



Doum, Beckenham, Kent. October 20, 1872. 



My dear Wallace, — I have thought that you would per- 

 haps like to see enclosed specimen and extract from letter 

 (translated from the German by my son) from Dr. W. 

 Marshall, Zoological Assistant to Schlegel at Leyden. 

 Neither the specimen nor extract need be returned; and 

 you need not acknowledge the receipt. The resemblance 

 is not so close, now that the fragments are gummed on 

 card, as I at first thought. Your review of Houzeau was 

 very good : I skimmed through the whole gigantic book, 

 but you managed to pick out the plums much better than 

 I did for myself. You are a born critic. What an admir- 

 able number that was of Nature, 



I am writing this at Sevenoaks, where we have taken 

 a house for three weeks and have one more week to stay. 

 We came here that I may get a little rest, of which I stood 

 in much need. — Ever yours very sincerely, 



Ch. Darwin. 



With respect to what you say about certain instincts 

 of ants having been acquired by experience or sense, have 

 you kept in mind that the neuters have no progeny ? I 

 wish I knew whether the fertile females, or queens, do the 

 same work (viz. placing the eggs in warm places, etc.) as 

 the neuters do afterwards; if so the case would be com- 

 paratively simple; but I believe this is not the case, and 

 I am driven to selection of varying pre-existing instincts. 



The Dell, Grays, Essex. November 15, 1872. 



Dear Darwin, — I should have written earlier to thank 

 you for your book,^ but was hoping to be able to read more 



* '* Expression of the Emotions." 

 279 



