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Acts. Acad St. Peters. 1780. Part II. p. 69. "Memoir sur la variation des animaux".

Pallas [insertion:] refers to a 2d Part of this Memoir. — I cannot see it in any succeeding Vol. (a) ⸮ is not this a preliminary address if so I might have overlooked it. —

[Descent 1: 241: "Of all the differences between the races of man, the colour of the skin is the most conspicuous and one of the best marked. Differences of this kind, it was formerly thought, could be accounted for by long exposure under different climates; but Pallas first shewed that this view is not tenable, and he has been followed by almost all anthropologists.39
39 Pallas, 'Act. Acad. St. Petersburgh,' 1780, part ii. p. 69."]

p. 74. argues well against Linnaeus hybrid origin of species. — from (2) infertility, from (1) difficulty in making cross from tendency to return to parent stock — from hybrids where in rare cases, as hypothetically in isld. are produced intermarrying with parents p. 83. — from the closeness of some representative species — from the tendency to return to parent form gives instance of hybrid geese. (I have extracted this)

p. 83. these latter facts are adduced against Buffon

p. 78— argues against Buffons theory (which note rests on influence of climate & food & & accidents multiples a raison les nombre des individus et des portees litters dans les especes, qui polluent le plus" this last if not confined by this last, would approach my theory) — Pallas chief arguments against this is that it is not proved & infertility of allied forms; & little differences p. 80) produced in mankind & other animals under

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Thus in same longitude, we find 3 nations similar in physiognomy, colour of hair & skin — Phytophagous Indian, civilized. — nomad & carnivorous Tartar & Mongolian & ichythophagous Samojeda in Zone glacial. — by the side of whom are the people Asiatique & nourished by same food, who differ greatly in them in appearance. — This not so wonderful as Puma & Humming-bird & Troglodytes of Falklands & some owls & & Hawks. — Yet as put as Pallas it strikes one very forcibly. — Argue against this — There is not necessarily any selection in animals exposed to great than in those exposed to small range of conditions. = & Selection is my great argument — Why one form of plant can extend over many kinds of soil & some fixed to one kind. over in climate-dampness is inexplicable. —

May it be that they became used to these conditions, & did vary when first brought into them, but no particular was selected

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vastly great differences of food & climate. (this is really strong). He mentions the Bobeck a vegetable feeder that extends from Lima to Siberia with no change & the Souslik a carnivorous (I suspect both Rodents) animal which varies much in same limit. (refers to Nov. specileg. quadru. e glir ordine. p. 103. p. 122. seq.)—

[Novæ species Quadrupedum e Glirium ordine]

p. 82. says horse?!! ass & camels have varied little, but dog, goat, sheep much for these are descended from crosses. "un vice introduit dans les facultés no facts for. generatives de ces races par des melanges d' especes"— Origin of Anderson's views & Col. H. Smith on dogs =

He thus is opposed to his own arguments against Linnæus. — infertility is not test of species. —

N. B Pallas theory is contradicted by the fertility of certain species of plants wh. cannot be considered under much domestication as Herberts Crinia —

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In this paper Pallas somewhere says that hybrid pheasant fowls are larger than parent ?!? 7

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p. 83 says crosses have generally character of mother.

p. 84 says in early states of domestication several parent species were crossed — allows fertility to domesticated animals species but not in wild state. — This is Pallas' theory of great range of variation in most domesticated animals. — (Q)

p. 84. says Primaires d' arbres Coccinella & Chrysomela have been seen coupled crossways— but no hybrid offspring known. — Ask Hope=

p. 85. Allow Horse ass, ox camel & dromedary — 30, creatures domesticates to be pure breeds Rein-deer & Cat. — & hence as great deviations. = enough variation for me in Horse. — thinks 3 species of pig now blended but says the Guinea & Chinese Pig do not readily cross with Europæan??—

p. 86 The Bouc-etain produce easily with goat (v. Spicileg. Zoolog. Fasc. XI) some facts about taking after father obscurely alluded to. — Thinks the Paseng true source—

From appearance it seems in Dalmatia there is more of Bouc-etain in domestic goats & in Asia more of the Paseng — Thinks there G (NQ)

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is evidence of other crosses in the Caucasian & African goats. (N. B considering these species & not wild races is quite arbitrary, as fertility is given up as test for it is assumption they would not cross in wild state — an analogy because we do see some wild forms keeping distinct (& yet very closely related) Thinks the Hungarian & Valachian sheep have some Caucasian goats' blood in veins

p. 89 Sheep derived from Mousson & probably Siberian Argali, close species — (Now how can the cross of 2 near species makes so much variation, it is mere assumption to say "le mélange … devrait alterer cette purete d' origine, de laquelle depend la constance des formes dans les animaux.  (it rests on there in being several wild close species of those forms, which have varied most in domestication. — a weak argument, for the reverse might be argued)

p. 90 says if (as if only from Buffon's statement) ram does not with she-goat, but only he-goat with sheep, cause probably organs of generation different— case analogous with Koelreuter's many cases

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p 91. Dog & she wolf has produced in Flanders, & wolves & bitches in England. Pent Pennants. Hist. Quad. p. 222. —

Pliny says (. Liv. VIII. Chapt. II) that ancient [illeg] mixed wolf with bitches to g improve breed. — Aristotle hist. animal says. (lib. VIII. C. 28. & Oppian Syneget. lib. I— vers. 392 & 429) says crosses were made with dogs, but the pure-bred animals best. — (to prove how long selection must have gone on.)

Pallas says Near Moscow black wolves have bred with bitches & progeny fertile

p. 91. Foxes have crossed with dogs. (Blumenbach de gen. hum. varietet p. 10. — Zimmerman Zoolog. Geograph. Pennant Hist Quad. l. c.)

Prophecies Foxes & Jackals would cross. — & says the Orientals that male — he Jackals cross with female domestic dogs —(Allow all these crosses & the Guayana, & New Holland. & Cape of Good Hope — what resemblances in all these to the many varieties of domestic dog?)

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introduce facts of Esquimaux dogs, resembling wolves of their own countries. & Lichtenstein Cape dog. —

Same argument as Pallas' concerning goats. —

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p. 93. says in time of Aristotle there were three primitive races of dogs & these differed in time of gestation — (How curious if it could be believed) — Pallas then gives list of imaginary crosses between wolf, dogue of India. Jackal Fox & Hyæna! to account for races. — He Thinks arts & degeneration has produced its greatest effect in Braques short-tailed pointer? & les chiens courants hounds— my miserable dictionary. — & hereditary disease les Bassets. — He allows art & accident has produced extra toe different colours pendant ears, tailess, jambes torses. — the pieds fourchus ou double of the Braques. — the hairy headed kinds —Delicate nurture la molesse p. 96. may produce 'la peau rasé smooth-short-haired & he has himself experience that luxury in course of some years has made a well-haired dog

[insertion:] important as showing origin of hairless races

"presque tout nud" x

After all this, & knowing what we do of wild canines. I cannot believe —this origin of best marked varieties. — Think of race-horse & niata ox, then of greyhound & bulldog — Think of differences of greyhounds from stag to Persian. — What is parent of Blood-Hound??— G

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p. 94. Pallas has been assured that on Volga a Calmuck killed a wolf coupled with a bitch of his Vide French Book on wolves

p. 97. case of cock & she duck — (like Mr Knights case of Wood-pidgeon & cock) in former, — six young ones with unequal beaks & tendency to go in water though without webs— Pallas says a good authority & case well particularized. — He believes it— Gives published authority. —

p. 98 Pennant. (Hist Quad. p. 272) Says common cat. & Chat tigre p. 293. vol I. — hydrophile of Bengal produced hybrids — inherited instinct of father of throwing themselves in water without fear. —

p. 96. says China & common goose are habitually crossed in some parts of Russia "pour donner les combats" — Thinks Chinese goose has dash of Swan in it — (Q)

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p. 97. Believes pidgeons fowls come from several original species— Says it is stated that the le Pintadæ Guinea fowl has crossed with fowl— Says common cross with le Serin ae Canaries produces with Chardonneret issue fertiles "par elle même". —

p. 98. alludes clearly to "selection the ennobling of a race," & expatiates on it but denies it can act on wild animals. — Alludes p. 99 to female choosing most (Ch. 6) perfect wild male as preventing variation. —

p. 98 Bouc d' angora has propagated in Sweden for many generation its fine hair. & gives

In Russia des Etalops stallions a poil crepu & laineau gives to their "poulains colts, avec leur couleur, une toison semblable"

Has not Azara described— "cheval crepu". —?

[typed line:] Lent by Francis Darwin, Esg., F.R.S. [In CUL-DAR196.5.6 is a note "Exhibited at BMNH 1909 Darwin memorial"]

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p. 101. in summing up alludes to sterility of hybrids, & the weakness of weak imperfect forms — & add distinctly fertility of species in domestication is no argument against the such forms having been originally created distinct. — Q

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[archival note:] Several pages in Darwin's handwriting of an abstract of Pallas's "Mémoire sur la variation des animaux" (Acta Acad. Sci. Imp. Petropol., 1780). It is interesting as showing the kind of abstracts Darwin made of the books he read.

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Property of F. Darwin