RECORD: Darwin, C. R. [1858.10.23-11.13]. Draft of Origin of species, Sect. VI, folio 197. Eton-ECL-MSA430.01.01.03. Edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua and John van Wyhe, edited by John van Wyhe. RN2
NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here. Reproduced with permission of Eton College Collections and William Huxley Darwin. From the Anne Thackeray Ritchie collection, Box C. With thanks to Sally Jennings and Stephanie Coane, Deputy Librarian and Curator of Modern Collections, College Library, Eton College.
There are slight rust marks where the leaf was held by a paperclip. The manuscript is mounted, obscuring the page edges and verso. The manuscript was presumably given to the novelist Anne Thackeray Ritchie as a long-time family friend by Henrietta Litchfield. Ritchie corresponded with Henrietta Litchfield in 1905. Henrietta gave folio 202 to Dr Bonnefoy, also in 1905. Along with the rest of the autograph collection, this draft was passed down to Ritchie's granddaughter Belinda Norman-Butler (1908-2008) before it was given to Eton College Library in 1992. See an online exhibition about Anne Thackeray Ritchie by Eton College here.
"Thackeray, Anne (Annie) Isabella, 1837-1919. Novelist. Eldest daughter of William Makepeace T. 1877 Married Richmond Ritchie, her first cousin. 1866-82 Visited Down House, 'a most amusing and pleasant person'. (letter to Anthony Rich) 1882 Was on 'Personal Friends invited' list for CD's funeral. ...Brodie, the Darwin's Scottish nurse, was once with the Thackerays.'"
Ritchie, Sir Richmond Thackeray Willoughby, 1854-1912. Born in India and worked as civil servant in the India Office. Married Anne Isabella Thackeray. 1881 Feb. 27 'R. Ritchies to lunch'. The R's stayed 1882 Jan. 21-23. Visited ED in 1888 and stayed 1895 May 4-5. 1882 R was on 'Personal Friends invited' list for CD's funeral. 1907 KCB. Recollections of the 1882 visit in Letters of Anne Thackeray Ritchie, 1924, pp. 183-4, transcribed in Darwin Online (F2175)." (Paul van Helvert & John van Wyhe, Darwin: A Companion, 2021)
The text of the draft corresponds to Origin, Chapter VI, Difficulties on theory, p. 183.
[197]
[top left corner damaged]
[not in Darwin's hand:] Charles Darwin page of MS
(197
Sect VI. Transitional Habits
productions, when in course of being rendered aquatic; & in other such cases. Hence transitional grades would be little likely to be found, at least abundantly, amongst fossil remains.
I will now give only two or three instances of changed habits with some species amid in of diversified habits, sometimes in the same species, & sometimes lay widely differing from those of its con nearest congeners when a species displays & either constantly or occasionally some diversified habit; it
individual, & of changed habits in the same species. When either case occurs, it would be easy for natural selection to fit the animal either for its changed habits or exclusively for for one of its - diversified habits—; alone, & this might well entail would generally be best ensured by some modification of structure. But it is difficult to tell, & immaterial for us, whether commonly habits first change & subse er slight modification of, structure of the body lead to changed habits: both probably often concur. Of changed habits it will suffice just to allude to the numerous cases of British insects feeding almost exclusively on exotic plants, or exclusively on quite artificial substances. Of diversified habits innumerable instances could be given: I have often watched a tyrant-flycatcher (Saurophagus sulphuratus) in S. America hovering over one spot & then proceeding to another like a kestrel; & at other times standing stationary
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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 6 November, 2023