RECORD: Darwin, C. R. 1860.01.11. Huxley objects to domestic vars not being sterile. CUL-DAR205.7.149. Edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua and edited by John van Wyhe 3.2023. 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-DAR205.7 contains notes on hybridism, sterility and pigeons.

[149]

Jan 11. 1860 Huxley objects to domestic vars. not being sterile. I answer in addition to my Book. Too ignorant of causes of sterility in species.— Reflect on what slight causes in condition render pure species sterile. Reflect on unequal reciprocity, on Hippeastrum case — on Verbascum case.

Probably want of adaptation to uniformity conditions in domestic production important; for this seems to cause elimination of sterility.

The Verbascum case shows how ignorant we are on what differences the differences in reproductive conditions are correlated: it is probably correlation.—

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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 9 May, 2023