RECORD: Darwin, C. R. [1877].10.08-10. Robinia pseudo-acacia. Drafts of Descent. CUL-DAR209.1.131-133. (John van Wyhe ed., 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua and edited by John van Wyhe 6.2022. 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-DAR209.1 contains materials on circumnutation of leaves and sleep for Darwin's book Movement in plants (1880).


[131]

Robinia. spe.

Oct 8th

8º 40'— Bristle fixed facing light along extremity of petiole & across along terminal leaflet

9º fallen a bit

Plants & leaves too old??

9º 27' first start

10º 5 same spot

10. 24' a little down

10 45 a trifle up

11º 12 falling a little day bright??

11º 50' a little down

12. 17' a little up

1º up — very short down

1º 30' almost same position

2º 10 up & down continually but too close to mark

3º 2º 45 new dot

3º 30 has now risen a little

4 another little 1/2 circle

4º 40 I believe completed little circle

Younger leaf

Upper mark — Bristle fixed to part first or distal lateral leaflet along midrib

10º 27'

10. 45' almost same spot, a little to left & up

11 12 falling a little day brighter

11º 50' a little down

12º 17 do

1º. still down

1' 30 still down

2º 10 down a very little

3º new dot

3º 30 down & to the right

4º 3 a little up & to right

4º 40 to the right

5º 5 a little up

(Used)

59 69

Chap. 8

considered treated at much greater considerable length. It should be borne in mind that for reasons already assigned, I intend to give only a few illustrative instances of the innumerable structures by the aid of which the male finds the female, or when found holds her. On the other hand all structures and instincts by which the males conquer other males, and allure or excite the females, will be fully discussed, as these are in many ways the most interesting.

Appendix on the proportional numbers of the two sexes in animals belonging to various Classes.—

As no one, as far as I can discover, has paid any attention to the relative numbers of the two sexes throughout the animal kingdom, I will here give such materials, although they are extremely imperfect, as I have been able to collect. They consist in only a few instances of actual enumeration, and the numbers are not large. As the proportions are known with certainty in the case of man, I will first give them, as a standard of comparison.

Man.— In England during ten years (from 1857 to 1866) 707,120 children have been on an average annually

[Descent 1: 300: "The lowest classes will detain us for a very short time, but the higher animals, especially birds, must be treated at considerable length. It should be borne in mind that for reasons already assigned, I intend to give only a few illustrative instances of the innumerable structures by the aid of which the male finds the female, or, when found, holds her. On the other hand, all structures and instincts by which the male conquers other males, and by which he allures or excites the female, will be fully discussed, as these are in many ways the most interesting.
Supplement on the proportional numbers of the two sexes in animals belonging to various classes.
As no one, as far as I can discover, has paid attention to the relative numbers of the two sexes throughout the animal kingdom, I will here give such materials as I have been able to collect, although they are extremely imperfect. They consist in only a few instances of actual enumeration, and the numbers are not very large. As the proportions are known with certainty on a large scale in the case of man alone, I will first give them, as a standard of comparison.
Man.—In England during ten years (from 1857 to 1866) 707,120 children on an annual average have been born alive, in the proportion of 104·5 males to 100 females."]

[132]

Oct 9th 1877 Robinia — Bristle to ultimate leaflet facing light— but viewed rather obliquely.

8º 14' firs dot

8' 38 — down & to right.

9º 6 rising

9 25' a little up

9 47 a trifle higher

10. 15' down

10 43' down & to right

11 18' a trifle to left & a shade down.

11 46 a little down & little to right

12º 5 falling

12 42' do

1. 7' down

1. 35 down

1. 58' an atom to the right

2. 35 down

3º 6 a little down

3. 30' down

4. 3 far down

4º 40 a good way down

5 5 down & to the right

5. 28' down do.— — beginning to go to sleep.

6. 15 asleep no dot

Oct 10 6º 45' awake, but pointing to left of glass

7º 15 a +

8º 5 to right & a little down

(oldish leaf terminal leaflet did not hang down Vertically)

(Used)

(58E 68

Chapt 8

(as variations which give to the male an advantage in fighting with other males, or which give to him an advantage in finding a holding securing or charming the female, would not be of the least of no use to the female hardly, they will not be selected either during youth or maturity where accordingly in this sex. Consequently they would such variations will be extremely very liable to be lost; & the female, as far as such character these are concerned, will be left unmodified, excepting in so far as they may she may be transmitted to her receive them by inheritance from the male.

No doubt if the female varied & transmitted serviceable serviceable character to her male offspring, these would be preserved favoured through sexual selection; & then both sexes would thus far be be equal together modified in the same manner. But I shall have hereafter to recur in the later chapter to those more more instinct contingencies.

[slip of paper pasted on:]

(one line open)

In the following Chapters, I shall treat of the secondary sexual characters which occur in animals of almost all classes, and shall endeavour to apply to them each in case the principles explained in the present chapter. The lowest classes will detain us for a very brief space, but the higher, especially birds, must be

[Descent 1: 299-300: "As variations which give to the male an advantage in fighting with other males, or in finding, securing, or charming the female, would be of no use to the female, they will not have been preserved in this sex either during youth or maturity. Consequently such variations would be extremely liable to be lost; and the female, as far as these characters are concerned, would be left unmodified, excepting in so far as she may have received them by transference from the male. No doubt if the female varied and transferred serviceable characters to her male offspring, these would be favoured through sexual selection; and then both sexes would thus far be modified in the same manner. But I shall hereafter have to recur to these more intricate contingencies.
In the following chapters, I shall treat of the secondary sexual characters in animals of all classes, and shall endeavour in each case to apply the principles explained in the present chapter. The lowest classes will detain us for a very short time, but the higher animals, especially birds, must be treated at considerable length. It should be borne in mind that for reasons already assigned, I intend to give only a few illustrative instances of the innumerable structures by the aid of which the male finds the female, or, when found, holds her. On the other hand, all structures and instincts by which the male conquers other males, and by which he allures or excites the female, will be fully discussed, as these are in many ways the most interesting."]

[133]

Oct 10 Robinia — (all in same position as yesterday) must have gone up in early morning

8º 6'

8º 30' down & to the right

8. 45 down & to right (moving very quickly)

9º- a little to left

9º 16vertically

9 30' a little to left

9º 45 vertically down parallel to up line

10 5 down

10 27' down

10 55 down & to left

11 23 a trace down & to left

12 — considerably down

12 — 42 — far down

1º 5' down

1. 30 down

2. 5. far down } — dull afternoon

2 54' far to left (after shaking plant accidentally)

3. 30  

4º far down

4º 30' out of glass

(Used)

(64A 76

(Ch. 8)

With respect to Cheviot & Black-faced sheep bred in Scotland, I have received returns from six breeders, two of them on a large scale, chiefly from the years 1867-1869, but some of the returned extending back to 1862. The total number recorded amounts to 50,685, consisting of 25,071 males & 25,614 females, or in in the proportion of 97.9 males to 100 females. If we take the Lowland & Highland returns together the total number amount to 59,650, consisting of 29,478 males & 30,172 females, or as 97.7 to 100.— So that with sheep at the age of castration the females are certainly in excess of the males; but whether this would hold good at birth is doubtful owing to the greater liability in the males too early death.*(1.3) 41

[slip of paper pasted on:]

Of Cattle I have received returns from nine gentlemen of only 574 982 births, much too few to be trusted; these consisted of 280 477 bull-calves and 294 505 cow-calves; i.e. in the proportion of 94.4 males as 95.2 to 100 females. The Rev. W. D. Fox informs me that in 1867 out of 34 calves born on a farm in Derbyshire only one was a bull. Mr. Harrison Weir writes to me that he has enquired from several breeders of Pigs, and most of them

[Descent 1: 304-5: "With respect to Cheviot and black-faced sheep bred in Scotland, I have received returns from six breeders, two of them on a large scale, chiefly for the years 1867-1869, but some of the returns extending back to 1862. The total number recorded amounts to 50,685, consisting of 25,071 males and 25,614 females, or in the proportion of 97·9 males to 100 females. If we take the English and Scotch returns together, the total number amounts to 59,650, consisting of 29,478 males and 30,172 females, or as 97·7 to 100. So that with sheep at the age of castration the females are certainly in excess of the males; but whether this would hold good at birth is doubtful, owing to the greater liability in the males to early death.41
Of Cattle I have received returns from nine gentlemen of 982 births, too few to be trusted; these consisted of 477 bull-calves and 505 cow-calves; i.e. in the proportion of 94·4 males to 100 females. The Rev. W. D. Fox informs me that in 1867 out of 34 calves born on a farm in Derbyshire only one was a bull. Mr. Harrison Weir writes to me that he has enquired from several breeders of Pigs, and most of them estimate the male to the female births as about 7 to 6."]


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

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