I am sorry I shall not see you in town, but shall look forward with
pleasure to paying you a visit in the summer.
I am sorry about the Primulas, but I feel sure some such equally good
case will some day be discovered, for it seems impossible to understand
how all natural species whatever should have acquired sterility. Closely
allied forms from adjacent islands would, I should think, offer the best
chance of finding good species fertile _inter se_; since even if Natural
Selection induces sterility I do not see how it could affect them, or
why they should _always_ be sterile, and varieties _never_.
I am glad you have got good materials on sexual selection. It is no
doubt a difficult subject. One difficulty to me is, that I do not see
how the constant _minute_ variations, which are sufficient for Natural
Selection to work with, could be _sexually_ selected. We seem to require
a series of bold and abrupt variations. How can we imagine that an inch
in the tail of a peacock, or a quarter of an inch in that of the bird of
paradise, would be noticed and preferred by the female?
Pray let me see what your son says about the sterility selection
question.
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