DARWIN, AUTOGRAPH MANUSCRIPTS, NOTES ON TRAPS, C.1860

on the practical use of deadfall traps ("...The smaller vermin can be very effectively caught by dead-fall traps; & one of them (no. 1) requires no stone..."), and gamekeepers' attitudes to cats ("greatly abhorred"), dogs, and foxes, notes extracted from The Game-Preserver's Manual by "High Elms" [Edward Levett Darwin], blue wove paper, approximately 179 words on 19 lines, 1 page, c.1863, with "Abstract on Traps" in pencil on the verso, possibly in Emma Darwin's hand, and "CD autograph" in ink in a later hand, folio leaf crudely cut at the foot (253 x 203mm) "...It is evidently thought an advantage that Dogs shd be caught, & this can be only by steel-traps. On the other hand in most districts ... the Ability to catch foxes wd be thought a great disadvantage..."

Charles Darwin; his daughter Henrietta ("Etty") Litchfield (1843-1927); her niece Margaret Keynes, née Darwin (1890-1974); thence by descent

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

DARWIN AND ANIMAL RIGHTS. In the early 1860s Darwin and his wife Emma developed strong concerns about cruelty to animals, a concern founded in Darwin's understanding of the shared nature of all living things. In 1863 they published a four-page pamphlet, entitled An Appeal, on the cruelty of steel traps and the lingering suffering they caused to larger animals. The response to An Appeal was such that the Darwin's were able to raise funds and persuade the RSPCA to hold a competition for a humane trap. A hundred designs were exhibited in the Royal Horticultural Gardens (The Times, 27-28 May 1864). These current manuscript notes derive from Darwin's reading of The Game-Preserver's Manual by his first cousin Edward Levett Darwin (1821-1901), a lawyer in the Derbyshire town of Matlock Bath. Edward Darwin wrote to Charles Darwin on 7 September 1863, just weeks after the publication of An Appeal, sending him a copy of the fourth edition of his book and conceding that "it would be a great thing if the necessity for that trap did not exist" (DCP-LETT-4295).