s ratio of males in illegitimate births strikes me
as the most doubtful point in your MS.--requiring two assumptions, viz.
that the fathers in such cases are relatively too young, and that the
result is the same as when the father is relatively too old.

My son, George, who is a mathematician, and who read your MS. with much
interest, has suggested, as telling in the right direction, but whether
sufficient is another question, that many more illegitimate children
are murdered and concealed shortly after birth, than in the case of
legitimate children; and as many more males than females die during the
first few days of life, the census of illegitimate children practically
applies to an older age than with legitimate children, and would thus
slightly reduce the excess of males. This might possibly be worth
consideration. By a strange coincidence a stranger writes to me this
day, making the very same suggestion.

I am quite delighted to hear that my book interests you enough to lead
you to read it with some care.

LETTER 412. TO FRANCIS GALTON. Down, January 4th, 1873.

Very many thanks for "Fraser" (412/1. "Hereditary Improvement," by
Francis Galton, "Fraser's Magazine," January 1873, page 116.): I have
been greatly interested by your article. The idea of castes being
spontaneously formed and leading to intermarriage (412/2. "My object is
to build up, by the mere process of extensive enquiry and publication of
results, a sentiment of caste among those who are naturally gifted,
and to procure for them, before the system has fairly taken root, such
moderate social favours and preference, no more no less, as would seem
reasonable to those who were justly informed of the precise measure of
their importance to the nation" (loc. cit., page 123).) is quite new
to me, and I should suppose to others. I am not, however, so hopeful
as you. Your proposed Society (412/3. Mr. Galton proposes that "Some
society should undertake three scientific services: the first, by
means of a moderate number of influential local agencies, to institute
continuous enquiries into the facts of human heredity; the second to be
a centre of information on heredity for breeders of animals and plants;
and the third to discuss and classify the facts that were collected"
(loc. cit., page 124).) would have awfully laborious work, and I doubt
whether you could ever get efficient workers. As it is, there is much
concealment of insanity and wickedness in famil