More Letters of Charles Darwin Volume II

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LETTER 467. TO A.D. BARTLETT.
Down, January 5th, [1871?]

Many thanks about Limulus. I am going to ask another favour, but I do not
want to trouble you to answer it by letter. When the Callithrix sciureus
screams violently, does it wrinkle up the skin round the eyes like a baby
always does? (467/1. "Humboldt also asserts that the eyes of the
Callithrix sciureus 'instantly fill with tears when it is seized with
fear'; but when this pretty little monkey in the Zoological Gardens was
teased, so as to cry out loudly, this did not occur. I do not, however,
wish to throw the least doubt on the accuracy of Humboldt's statement."
("The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals," 1872, page 137.)
When thus screaming do the eyes become suffused with moisture? Will you
ask Sutton to observe carefully? (467/2. One of the keepers who made many
observations on monkeys for Mr. Darwin.) Could you make it scream without
hurting it much? I should be truly obliged some time for this information,
when in spring I come to the Gardens.

LETTER 468. TO W. OGLE.
Down, March 7th [1871].

I wrote to Tyndall, but had no clear answer, and have now written to him
again about odours. (468/1. Dr. Ogle's work on the Sense of Smell
("Medico-Chirurgical Trans." LIII., page 268) is referred to in the
"Expression of the Emotions," page 256.) I write now to ask you to be so
kind (if there is no objection) to tell me the circumstances under which
you saw a man arrested for murder. (468/2. Given in the "Expression of
the Emotions," page 294.) I say in my notes made from your conversation:
utmost horror--extreme pallor--mouth relaxed and open--general prostration
--perspiration--muscle of face contracted--hair observed on account of
having been dyed, and apparently not erected. Secondly, may I quote you
that you have often (?) seen persons (young or old? men or women?) who,
evincing no great fear, were about to undergo severe operation under
chloroform, showing resignation by (alternately?) folding one open hand
over the other on the lower part of chest (whilst recumbent?)--I know this
expression, and think I ought to notice it. Could you look out for an
additional instance?

I fear you will think me very troublesome, especially when I remind you
(not that I am in a hurry) about the Eustachian tube.

LETTER 469. TO J. JENNER WEIR.
Down, June 14th [1870].

As usual, I am going to beg for information. Can you tell me whether any
Fringillidae or Sylviadae erect their feathers when frightened or enraged?
(469/1. See "Expression of the Emotions," page 99.) I want to show that
this expression is common to all or most of the families of birds. I know
of this only in the fowl, swan, tropic-bird, owl, ruff and reeve, and
cuckoo. I fancy that I remember having seen nestling birds erect their
feathers greatly when looking into nests, as is said to be the case with
young cuckoos. I should much like to know whether nestlings do really thus
erect their feathers. I am now at work on expression in animals of all
kinds, and birds; and if you have any hints I should be very glad for them,
and you have a rich wealth of facts of all kinds. Any cases like the
following: the sheldrake pats or dances on the tidal sands to make the
sea-worms come out; and when Mr. St. John's tame sheldrakes came to ask for
their dinners they used to pat the ground, and this I should call an
expression of hunger and impatience. How about the Quagga case? (469/2.
See Letter 235, Volume I.)

I am working away as hard as I can on my book; but good heavens, how slow
my progress is.

LETTER 470. TO F.C. DONDERS.
Down, March 18th, 1871.

Very many thanks for your kind letter. I have been interested by what you
tell me about your views published in 1848, and I wish I could read your
essay. It is clear to me that you were as near as possible in preceding me
on the subject of Natural Selection.

You will find very little that is new to you in my last book; whatever
merit it may possess consists in the grouping of the facts and in
deductions from them. I am now at work on my essay on Expression. My last
book fatigued me much, and I have had much correspondence, otherwise I
should have written to you long ago, as I often intended to tell you in how
high a degree your essay published in Beale's Archives interested me.
(470/1. Beale's "Archives of Medicine," Volume V., 1870.) I have heard
others express their admiration at the complete manner in which you have
treated the subject. Your confirmation of Sir C. Bell's rather loose
statement has been of paramount importance for my work. (470/2. On the
contraction of the muscles surrounding the eye. See "Expression of the
Emotions," page 158. See Letters 464, 465.) You told me that I might make
further enquiries from you.

When a person is lost in meditation his eyes often appear as if fixed on a
distant object (470/3. The appearance is due to divergence of the lines of
vision produced by muscular relaxation. See "Expression of the Emotions,"
Edition II., page 239.), and the lower eyelids may be seen to contract and
become wrinkled. I suppose the idea is quite fanciful, but as you say that
the eyeball advances in adaptation for vision for close objects, would the
eyeball have to be pushed backwards in adaptation for distant objects?
(470/4. Darwin seems to have misunderstood a remark of Donders.) If so,
can the wrinkling of the lower eyelids, which has often perplexed me, act
in pushing back the eyeball?

But, as I have said, I daresay this is quite fanciful. Gratiolet says that
the pupil contracts in rage, and dilates enormously in terror. (470/5.
See "Expression of the Emotions," Edition II., page 321.) I have not found
this great anatomist quite trustworthy on such points, and am making
enquiries on this subject. But I am inclined to believe him, as the old
Scotch anatomist Munro says, that the iris of parrots contracts and dilates
under passions, independently of the amount of light. Can you give any
explanation of this statement? When the heart beats hard and quick, and
the head becomes somewhat congested with blood in any illness, does the
pupil contract? Does the pupil dilate in incipient faintness, or in utter
prostration, as when after a severe race a man is pallid, bathed in
perspiration, with all his muscles quivering? Or in extreme prostration
from any illness?

LETTER 471. TO W. TURNER.
Down, March 28th [1871].

I am much obliged for your kind note, and especially for your offer of
sending me some time corrections, for which I shall be truly grateful. I
know that there are many blunders to which I am very liable. There is a
terrible one confusing the supra-condyloid foramen with another one.
(471/1. In the first edition of the "Descent of Man," I., page 28, in
quoting Mr. Busk "On the Caves of Gibraltar," Mr. Darwin confuses together
the inter-condyloid foramen in the humerus with the supra-condyloid
foramen. His attention was called to the mistake by Sir William Turner, to
whom he had been previously indebted for other information on the anatomy
of man. The error is one, as Sir William Turner points out in a letter,
"which might easily arise where the writer is not minutely acquainted with
human anatomy." In speaking of his correspondence with Darwin, Sir William
remarks on a characteristic of Darwin's method of asking for information,
namely, his care in avoiding leading questions.) This, however, I have
corrected in all the copies struck off after the first lot of 2500. I
daresay there will be a new edition in the course of nine months or a year,
and this I will correct as well as I can. As yet the publishers have kept
up type, and grumble dreadfully if I make heavy corrections. I am very far
from surprised that "you have not committed yourself to full acceptation"
of the evolution of man. Difficulties and objections there undoubtedly
are, enough and to spare, to stagger any cautious man who has much
knowledge like yourself.

I am now at work at my hobby-horse essay on Expression, and I have been
reading some old notes of yours. In one you say it is easy to see that the
spines of the hedgehog are moved by the voluntary panniculus. Now, can you
tell me whether each spine has likewise an oblique unstriped or striped
muscle, as figured by Lister? (472/2. "Expression of the Emotions," page
101.) Do you know whether the tail-coverts of peacock or tail of turkey
are erected by unstriped or striped muscles, and whether these are
homologous with the panniculus or with the single oblique unstriped muscles
going to each separate hair in man and many animals? I wrote some time ago
to Kolliker to ask this question (and in relation to quills of porcupine),
and I received a long and interesting letter, but he could not answer these
questions. If I do not receive any answer (for I know how busy you must
be), I will understand you cannot aid me.

I heard yesterday that Paget was very ill; I hope this is not true. What a
loss he would be; he is so charming a man.

P.S.--As I am writing I will trouble you with one other question. Have you
seen anything or read of any facts which could induce you to think that the
mind being intently and long directed to any portion of the skin (or,
indeed, any organ) would influence the action of the capillaries, causing
them either to contract or dilate? Any information on this head would be
of great value to me, as bearing on blushing.

If I remember right, Paget seems to be a great believer in the influence of
the mind in the nutrition of parts, and even in causing disease. It is
awfully audacious on my part, but I remember thinking (with respect to the
latter assertion on disease) when I read the passage that it seemed rather
fanciful, though I should like to believe in it. Sir H. Holland alludes to
this subject of the influence of the mind on local circulation frequently,
but gives no clear evidence. (472/3. Ibid., pages 339 et seq.)

LETTER 472. TO W. TURNER.
Down, March 29th [1871].

Forgive me for troubling you with one line. Since writing my P.S. I have
read the part on the influence of the nervous system on the nutrition of
parts in your last edition of Paget's "Lectures." (472/1. "Lectures on
Surgical Pathology," Edition III., revised by Professor Turner, 1870.) I
had not read before this part in this edition, and I see how foolish I was.
But still, I should be extremely grateful for any hint or evidence of the
influence of mental attention on the capillary or local circulation of the
skin, or of any part to which the mind may be intently and long directed.
For instance, if thinking intently about a local eruption on the skin (not
on the face, for shame might possibly intervene) caused it temporarily to
redden, or thinking of a tumour caused it to throb, independently of
increased heart action.

LETTER 473. TO HUBERT AIRY.

(473/1. Dr. Airy had written to Mr. Darwin on April 3rd:--

"With regard to the loss of voluntary movement of the ears in man and
monkey, may I ask if you do not think it might have been caused, as it is
certainly compensated, by the facility and quickness in turning the head,
possessed by them in virtue of their more erect stature, and the freedom of
the atlanto-axial articulation? (in birds the same end is gained by the
length and flexibility of the neck.) The importance, in case of danger, of
bringing the eyes to help the ears would call for a quick turn of the head
whenever a new sound was heard, and so would tend to make superfluous any
special means of moving the ears, except in the case of quadrupeds and the
like, that have great trouble (comparatively speaking) in making a
horizontal turn of the head--can only do it by a slow bend of the whole
neck." (473/2. We are indebted to Dr. Airy for furnishing us with a copy
of his letter to Mr. Darwin, the original of which had been mislaid.)

Down, April 5th [1871].

I am greatly obliged for your letter. Your idea about the easy turning of
the head instead of the ears themselves strikes me as very good, and quite
new to me, and I will keep it in mind; but I fear that there are some cases
opposed to the notion.

If I remember right the hedgehog has very human ears, but birds support
your view, though lizards are opposed to it.

Several persons have pointed out my error about the platysma. (473/3. The
error in question occurs on page 19 of the "Descent of Man," Edition I.,
where it is stated that the Platysma myoides cannot be voluntarily brought
into action. In the "Expression of the Emotions" Darwin remarks that this
muscle is sometimes said not to be under voluntary control, and he shows
that this is not universally true.) Nor can I remember how I was misled.
I find I can act on this muscle myself, now that I know the corners of the
mouth have to be drawn back. I know of the case of a man who can act on
this muscle on one side, but not on the other; yet he asserts positively
that both contract when he is startled. And this leads me to ask you to be
so kind as to observe, if any opportunity should occur, whether the
platysma contracts during extreme terror, as before an operation; and
secondly, whether it contracts during a shivering fit. Several persons are
observing for me, but I receive most discordant results.

I beg you to present my most respectful and kind compliments to your
honoured father [Sir G.B. Airy].

LETTER 474. TO FRANCIS GALTON.

(474/1. Mr. Galton had written on November 7th, 1872, offering to send to
various parts of Africa Darwin's printed list of questions intended to
guide observers on expression. Mr. Galton goes on: "You do not, I think,
mention in "Expression" what I thought was universal among blubbering
children (when not trying to see if harm or help was coming out of the
corner of one eye) of pressing the knuckles against the eyeballs, thereby
reinforcing the orbicularis.")

Down, November 8th [1872].

Many thanks for your note and offer to send out the queries; but my career
is so nearly closed that I do not think it worth while. What little more I
can do shall be chiefly new work. I ought to have thought of crying
children rubbing their eyes with their knuckles, but I did not think of it,
and cannot explain it. As far as my memory serves, they do not do so
whilst roaring, in which case compression would be of use. I think it is
at the close of the crying fit, as if they wished to stop their eyes
crying, or possibly to relieve the irritation from the salt tears. I wish
I knew more about the knuckles and crying.

What a tremendous stir-up your excellent article on prayer has made in
England and America! (474/2. The article entitled "Statistical Inquiries
into the Efficacy of Prayer" appeared in the "Fortnightly Review," 1872.
In Mr. Francis Galton's book on "Enquiries into Human Faculty and its
Development," London, 1883, a section (pages 277-94) is devoted to a
discussion on the "Objective Efficacy of Prayer.")

LETTER 475. TO F.C. DONDERS.

(475/1. We have no means of knowing whether the observations suggested in
the following letter were made--if not, the suggestion is worthy of
record.)

Down, December 21st, 1872.

You will have received some little time ago my book on Expression, in
writing which I was so deeply indebted to your kindness. I want now to beg
a favour of you, if you have the means to grant it. A clergyman, the head
of an institution for the blind in England (475/2. The Rev. R.H. Blair,
Principal of the Worcester College: "Expression of the Emotions," Edition
II., page 237.), has been observing the expression of those born blind, and
he informs me that they never or very rarely frown. He kept a record of
several cases, but at last observed a frown on two of the children who he
thought never frowned; and then in a foolish manner tore up his notes, and
did not write to me until my book was published. He may be a bad observer
and altogether mistaken, but I think it would be worth while to ascertain
whether those born blind, when young, and whilst screaming violently,
contract the muscles round the eyes like ordinary infants. And secondly,
whether in after years they rarely or never frown. If it should prove true
that infants born blind do not contract their orbicular muscles whilst
screaming (though I can hardly believe it) it would be interesting to know
whether they shed tears as copiously as other children. The nature of the
affection which causes blindness may possibly influence the contraction of
the muscles, but on all such points you will judge infinitely better than I
can. Perhaps you could get some trustworthy superintendent of an asylum
for the blind to attend to this subject. I am sure that you will forgive
me asking this favour.

LETTER 476. TO D. HACK TUKE.
Down, December 22nd, 1872.

I have now finished your book, and have read it with great interest.
(476/1. "Influence of the Mind upon the Body. Designed to elucidate the
Power of the Imagination." 1872.)

Many of your cases are very striking. As I felt sure would be the case, I
have learnt much from it; and I should have modified several passages in my
book on Expression, if I had had the advantage of reading your work before
my publication. I always felt, and said so a year ago to Professor
Donders, that I had not sufficient knowledge of Physiology to treat my
subject in a proper way.

With many thanks for the interest which I have felt in reading your work...

LETTER 477. TO A.R. WALLACE.
Down, January 10th [1873].

I have read your Review with much interest, and I thank you sincerely for
the very kind spirit in which it is written. I cannot say that I am
convinced by your criticisms. (477/1. "Quarterly Journal of Science,"
January, 1873, page 116: "I can hardly believe that when a cat, lying on a
shawl or other soft material, pats or pounds it with its feet, or sometimes
sucks a piece of it, it is the persistence of the habit of pressing the
mammary glands and sucking during kittenhood." Mr. Wallace goes on to say
that infantine habits are generally completely lost in adult life, and that
it seems unlikely that they should persist in a few isolated instances.)
If you have ever actually observed a kitten sucking and pounding, with
extended toes, its mother, and then seen the same kitten when a little
older doing the same thing on a soft shawl, and ultimately an old cat (as I
have seen), and do not admit that it is identically the same action, I am
astonished. With respect to the decapitated frog, I have always heard of
Pfluger as a most trustworthy observer. (477/2. Mr. Wallace speaks of "a
readiness to accept the most marvellous conclusions or interpretations of
physiologists on what seem very insufficient grounds," and he goes on to
assert that the frog experiment is either incorrectly recorded or else that
it "demonstrates volition, and not reflex action.") If, indeed, any one
knows a frog's habits so well as to say that it never rubs off a bit of
leaf or other object which may stick to its thigh, in the same manner as it
did the acid, your objection would be valid. Some of Flourens'
experiments, in which he removed the cerebral hemispheres from a pigeon,
indicate that acts apparently performed consciously can be done without
consciousness. I presume through the force of habit, in which case it
would appear that intellectual power is not brought into play. Several
persons have made suggestions and objections as yours about the hands being
held up in astonishment; if there was any straining of the muscles, as with
protruded arms under fright, I would agree; as it is I must keep to my old
opinion, and I dare say you will say that I am an obstinate old blockhead.
(477/3. The raising of the hands in surprise is explained ("Expression of
Emotions," Edition I., page 287) on the doctrine of antithesis as being the
opposite of listlessness. Mr. Wallace's view (given in the 2nd edition of
"Expression of the Emotions," page 300) is that the gesture is appropriate
to sudden defence or to the giving of aid to another person.)

The book has sold wonderfully; 9,000 copies have now been printed.

LETTER 478. TO CHAUNCEY WRIGHT.
Down, September 21st, 1874.

I have read your long letter with the greatest interest, and it was
extremely kind of you to take such great trouble. Now that you call my
attention to the fact, I well know the appearance of persons moving the
head from side to side when critically viewing any object; and I am almost
sure that I have seen the same gesture in an affected person when speaking
in exaggerated terms of some beautiful object not present. I should think
your explanation of this gesture was the true one. But there seems to me a
rather wide difference between inclining or moving the head laterally, and
moving it in the same plane, as we do in negation, and, as you truly add,
in disapprobation. It may, however, be that these two movements of the
head have been confounded by travellers when speaking of the Turks.
Perhaps Prof. Lowell would remember whether the movement was identically
the same. Your remarks on the effects of viewing a sunset, etc., with the
head inverted are very curious. (478/1. The letter dated September 3rd,
1874, is published in Mr. Thayer's "Letters" of Chauncey Wright, privately
printed, Cambridge, Mass., 1878. Wright quotes Mr. Sophocles, a native of
Greece, at the time Professor of Modern and Ancient Greek at Harvard
University, to the effect that the Turks do not express affirmation by a
shake of the head, but by a bow or grave nod, negation being expressed by a
backward nod. From the striking effect produced by looking at a landscape
with the head inverted, or by looking at its reflection, Chauncey Wright
was led to the lateral movement of the head, which is characteristic of
critical inspection--eg. of a picture. He thinks that in this way a
gesture of deliberative assent arose which may have been confused with our
ordinary sign of negation. He thus attempts to account for the
contradictions between Lieber's statement that a Turk or Greek expresses
"yes" by a shake of the head, and the opposite opinion of Prof. Sophocles,
and lastly, Mr. Lowell's assertion that in Italy our negative shake of the
head is used in affirmation (see "Expression of the Emotions," Edition II.,
page 289).) We have a looking-glass in the drawing-room opposite the
flower-garden, and I have often been struck how extremely pretty and
strange the flower garden and surrounding bushes appear when thus viewed.
Your letter will be very useful to me for a new edition of my Expression
book; but this will not be for a long time, if ever, as the publisher was
misled by the very large sale at first, and printed far too many copies.

I daresay you intend to publish your views in some essay, and I think you
ought to do so, for you might make an interesting and instructive
discussion.

I have been half killing myself of late with microscopical work on plants.
I begin to think that they are more wonderful than animals.

P.S., January 29th, 1875.--You will see that by a stupid mistake in the
address this letter has just been returned to me. It is by no means worth
forwarding, but I cannot bear that you should think me so ungracious and
ungrateful as not to have thanked you for your long letter.

As I forget whether "Cambridge" is sufficient address, I will send this
through Asa Gray.

(PLATE: CHARLES LYELL. Engraved by G.I. (J). Stodart from a photograph.)

CHAPTER 2.IX. GEOLOGY, 1840-1882.

I. Vulcanicity and Earth-movements.--II. Ice-action.--III. The Parallel
Roads of Glen Roy.--IV. Coral Reefs, Fossil and Recent.--V. Cleavage and
Foliation.--VI. Age of the World.--VII. Geological Action of Earthworms.
--VIII. Miscellaneous.

2.IX.I. VULCANICITY AND EARTH-MOVEMENTS, 1840-1881.

LETTER 479. TO DAVID MILNE.
12, Upper Gower Street, Thursday [March] 20th [1840].

I much regret that I am unable to give you any information of the kind you
desire. You must have misunderstood Mr. Lyell concerning the object of my
paper. (479/1. "On the Connexion of certain Volcanic Phenomena, and on
the Formation of Mountain-chains and the Effects of Continental
Elevations." "Trans. Geol. Soc." Volume V., 1840, pages 601-32 [March 7th,
1838].) It is an account of the shock of February, 1835, in Chile, which
is particularly interesting, as it ties most closely together volcanic
eruptions and continental elevations. In that paper I notice a very
remarkable coincidence in volcanic eruptions in S. America at very distant
places. I have also drawn up some short tables showing, as it appears to
me, that there are periods of unusually great volcanic activity affecting
large portions of S. America. I have no record of any coincidences between
shocks there and in Europe. Humboldt, by his table in the "Pers.
Narrative" (Volume IV., page 36, English Translation), seems to consider
the elevation of Sabrina off the Azores as connected with S. American
subterranean activity: this connection appears to be exceedingly vague. I
have during the past year seen it stated that a severe shock in the
northern parts of S. America coincided with one in Kamstchatka. Believing,
then, that such coincidences are purely accidental, I neglected to take a
note of the reference; but I believe the statement was somewhere in
"L'Institut" for 1839. (479/2. "L'Institut, Journal General des Societes
et Travaux Scientifiques de la France et de l'Etranger," Tome VIII. page
412, Paris, 1840. In a note on some earthquakes in the province Maurienne
it is stated that they occurred during a change in the weather, and at
times when a south wind followed a north wind, etc.) I was myself anxious
to see the list of the 1200 shocks alluded to by you, but I have not been
able to find out that the list has been published. With respect to any
coincidences you may discover between shocks in S. America and Europe, let
me venture to suggest to you that it is probably a quite accurate statement
that scarcely one hour in the year elapses in S. America without an
accompanying shock in some part of that large continent. There are many
regions in which earthquakes take place every three and four days; and
after the severer shocks the ground trembles almost half-hourly for months.
If, therefore, you had a list of the earthquakes of two or three of these
districts, it is almost certain that some of them would coincide with those
in Scotland, without any other connection than mere chance.