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OCR Rendition - approximate
76 Life and Letters of Francis Galton carnations flourished. Undoubtedly it was a spacious, pleasant home and one round which many childish memories would grow up still more spaciously and pleasantly (see Plate XLV). It is in the essence of childhood to have but one real `home' and we may question whether Galton ever felt to 44 Lansdowne Place, Leamington, as he felt towards the Larches. Francis, as we have seen, came back at the end of June to England, and on July I I following, a month. after his grandfather's death, we find him on what was probably a last visit to Duddeston MY DEAR PAPA, Last night I caught four perch and this morning I had much better luck for I caught in about the same time three perch and four roach. When I was coming to Nole a carriage arrived just before in which was a Lord ; as the servants were handing his wife out all of a sudden she fell on the pavement and was hurt very much indeed. I and Adele made a very good dinner on the biscuits which I bought with me. Good bye. Aunt Sophia sends her best love to all. F. Were the birds (see p. 41) still on the lake as Francis caught his fish? Francis' reputation as a fisherman seems to have been a family joke, and two years later provoked a retort in sketch caricatures of a shooting expedition of his brother Darwin (see Plate XLVI). "DEAR DAR, so I hear that no horses were strained to death in carrying your game, but however I send you some caricatures below." The sketches are somewhat crude, giving little sense of Francis Galton's later power with his pencil. They open with Darwin giving instructions to Ben to provide a waggon with four strong horses to bring the game home, then we see Darwin in a gig with keeper and guns and three dogs. Thirdly comes the death of one dog, and the partridges' mocking flight, "Hee, Hee, Hee ! " Fourthly the arrival of the waggon and waggoner " I have brought the waggon and four stout horses." " Why I have only been able to kill my dog," says Darwin ; " however buy 1 hare and 6 brace of partridges and put them in the cart." The last picture represents the return of the sportsman to the family circle : " Well, what news ? " says Mamma. " Why, I couldn't kill anything but the dog, it must have been the fault of my gun ; but at the end I murdered 6 brace and 1 hare." Chorus : " Hum, bad Carpenters always complain of their Tools." Papa : "Who was it I saw buying partridges for one Darwin Galton ? "
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