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737 DARWIN (CHARLES, 1809-1882). Naturalist and Author.

AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED TO J. JENNER WEIR.

6 1/2 pp., 8vo. Queen Street (6th March, 1868). With addressed envelope. £7 10s

A very fine letter relating to birds and butterflies.

". . . That is a very curious observation about the gold-finches beak, but one would hardly like to trust it without measurement or comparison of the beaks of several male & female birds; for I do not understand that you yourself assert that the beak of the male is sensibly longer than that of the female. If you come across any acute bird-catchers (I do not mean to ask you to go after them); I wish you would ask what is their impression on the relative numbers of the sexes of any birds, which they habitually catch, & whether some years male are more numerous & some years female." Etc.

738 DARWIN (CHARLES).

AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED TO (SIR LAUDER BRUNTON).

24 1/2 pp., 8vo. Beckenham, 25th May, 1874. £5 5s

[To T. L. Brunton 25 May [1874]]

"…The globules in the residue from the milk certainly had exactly the same appearance before any balsam was near the slide. Hence I will assume that the globules were oil. I am not surprised at the presence of bacteria or any other organisms, as the milk was some time digesting on the open lenses."

"I shall be glad to hear about the pepsin: I used some which was called pure and made for me by Dr. Moore of Brixton Road and Drosera certainly could dissolve very little of this, though the associated albumen or the pepsin itself excited the lenses."