RECORD: Darwin, C. R. 1877.11.09-11. Canna / Draft of Descent, vol. 1. CUL-DAR209.4.95. (John van Wyhe ed., 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua and John van Wyhe, edited by John van Wyhe 9.2022. RN2
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-DAR209.4 contains materials for Darwin's book Movement in plants (1880).
Draft of Descent in the hand of Ebenezer Norman with corrections by Darwin.
[95]
Nov. 9 Canna too cold— Dark Horizontal glass
Filament Beneath tied to tips of leaf.
⨀ 8'. 45'
10. 30 an atom from light Filament tied to tip of leaf
11. 35 to right
12. 45 to left zig-zage
2. 17 to the right & 8 1/2
3. 5 same course
do 4. 15
5 15 to left
6. 15 Short distance
7. 20 little bit to left
8' 35
9. 30 to right little way
10 . 40 a mere dot in same direction— (too cold ?)
⨀ (10 6. 45' a.m the) |
|
7 52 — see line |
|
9. 20 from light & a little to right |
|
10. 12 little back |
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10. 50 to light |
|
12. 2 little to right |
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12. 52 to right & light |
Fire |
do do. 1. 46. |
|
a good way to light 2. 35 |
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up— on nocturnal dotted line 3 5. |
|
4. 7 . up. same course |
|
still up 5. 7 |
|
do 6. 10 |
|
7. 20 to light or up.
to left 8. 30 & back
same course 9. 35 |
Rubbed 8° 19' |
do 10. 48 |
|
11th 7° a.m. gone back [sketch] |
8 49 [-] 19 [=] 30' (no effect) |
8. 10' to left |
stem |
(Used)
[95v]
Chap VII
of each species & race is constantly hindered prevented by various checks; so that if any new check or cause of destruction, even a slight one, be super added, the race will surely decrease in number; & as savages rarely change their habits, decreasing numbers will sooner or later lead to extinction. The end in most cases being promptly determined by the inroads of other conquering & increasing tribes.
On the formation of the races of man.
At may be presumed mise that when we find the same race, though broken up into distinct tribes, ranging over a great area, as that of over America, we naturally attribute their general resemblance to descent from a common stock. In some cases the crossing of races already rendered distinct has been a potent cause of change. The singular fact that Europeans & Hindoos, who belong to the
[Descent 1: 240: "The difficulty, though great to our imagination, and really great if we wish to ascertain the precise causes, ought not to be so to our reason, as long as we keep steadily in mind that the increase of each species and each race is constantly hindered by various checks; so that if any new check, or cause of destruction, even a slight one, be superadded, the race will surely decrease in number; and as it has everywhere been observed that savages are much opposed to any change of habits, by which means injurious checks could be counterbalanced, decreasing numbers will sooner or later lead to extinction; the end, in most cases, being promptly determined by the inroads of increasing and conquering tribes.
On the Formation of the Races of Man.—It may be premised that when we find the same race, though broken up into distinct tribes, ranging over a great area, as over America, we may attribute their general resemblance to descent from a common stock. In some cases the crossing of races already distinct has led to the formation of new races. The singular fact that Europeans and Hindoos, who belong to the same Aryan stock and speak a language fundamentally the same, differ widely in appearance, whilst Europeans differ but little from Jews, who belong to the Semitic stock and speak quite another language, has been accounted for by Broca36 through the Aryan branches having been largely crossed during their wide diffusion by various indigenous tribes.
36 "On Anthropology," translation, 'Anthropolog. Review,' Jan. 1868, p. 38."]
Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
File last updated 19 December, 2025