RECORD: Darwin, C. R. 1845.04. Falconer who has seen march of Elephant. CUL-DAR205.10.65. Edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua and edited by John van Wyhe 5.2023. RN1

NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here. Reproduced with permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library and William Huxley Darwin. The volume CUL-DAR205.10 contains notes on variation and varieties. Reproduced with permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library and William Huxley Darwin.


[65]

April 1845

Falconer who has seen march of Elephants has seen 12,00 in one day at a great pace — says they differ in proportional form, symmetry, size, manner of carrying head form of tusks, absence of a nail on one toe, decidedly more than the horses of any one breed! They come from many different regions — He says female elephants will breed, if male will cover them, who is infuriated with passion but will not leap them. — Knew a famous blood horse, who used to in infuriate with desire, but wd not leap mare — a good thrashing by his groin made him one day do the work — All this looks as if only instinct was the deficient agent (over)

[in margin:] Intermarriage

(Q)

[Quoted in Natural selection, (F1583) p. 119.]

[65v]

Mr. Yarrell thinks Falconer could not care much about breeding hawks in domestication about moulting & young birds being most valuable.— case turns upon, or how long old do they even keep hawks for hunting.


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Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

File last updated 24 July, 2023