you are suffering from boils; I have often had
fearful crops: I hope that the doctors are right in saying that they are
serviceable.

How puzzled you must be to know what to begin at. You will do grand
work, I do not doubt.

My health is, and always will be, very poor: I am that miserable animal
a regular valetudinarian.--Yours very sincerely,

C. DARWIN.

* * * * *

_5 Westbourne Grove Terrace, W. August 8, 1862._

My dear Mr. Darwin,--I sincerely trust that your little boy is by this
time convalescent, and that you are therefore enabled to follow your
favourite investigations with a more tranquil mind.

I heard a remark the other day which may not perhaps be new to you, but
seemed to me a fact, if true, in your favour. Mr. Ward (I think it was),
a member of the Microscopical Society, mentioned as a fact noticed by
himself with much surprise that "the muscular fibres of the whale were
no larger than those of the bee!"--an excellent indication of community
of origin.

While looking at the ostriches the other day at the Gardens, it occurred
to me that they were a case of special difficulty, as, inhabiting an
ancient continent, surrounded by numerous enemies, how did their wings
ever become abortive, and if they did so before the birds had attained
their present gigantic size, strength and speed, how could they in the
transition have maintained their existence? I see Westwood in the
_Annals_ brings forward the same case, arguing that the ostriches should
have acquired better wings within the historic period; but as they are
now the swiftest of animals they evidently do not want their wings,
which in their present state may serve some other trifling purpose in
their economy such as fans, or balancers, which may have prevented their
being reduced to such rudiments as in the cassowaries. The difficulty
to me seems to be, how, if they once had flight, could they have lost
it, surrounded by swift and powerful carnivora against whom it must have
been the only defence?

This probably is all clear to you, but I think it is a point you might
touch upon, as I think the objection will seem a strong one to most
people.

In a day or two I go to Devonshire for a few weeks and hope to lay in a
stock of health to enable me to stick to work at my collections during
the winter. I begin to find that large collections involve a heavy
amount of manual labour which is not very agreeable.

Present m