Reversion of tamed animals to wild behaviour.
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The Charles Darwin Collection
The Darwin Correspondence Project is publishing letters written by and to the naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882). Complete transcripts of letters are being made available through the Project’s website (www.darwinproject.ac.uk) after publication in the ongoing print edition of The Correspondence of Charles Darwin (Cambridge University Press 1985–). Metadata and summaries of all known letters (c. 15,000) appear in Ɛpsilon, and the full texts of available letters can also be searched, with links to the full texts.
Reversion of tamed animals to wild behaviour.
Trusts his paper ["Apterous Lepidoptera" (1867), printed for the West Kent Natural History, Microscopical, and Photographic Society] showed that he is thoroughly a disciple of CD.
Cites evidence that birds undoubtedly distinguish colours. [see Descent 2: 110.]
Aggressive behaviour of a bullfinch toward new arrival in JJW’s aviary.
Sexual differences in goldfinches: size of beaks.
Sexual selection in Lepidoptera.
Thinks Dr Alex Wallace’s observations on Bombyx not conclusive in proving that no preference is shown by females.
Does not think females give preference to any males. Coloration, pugnacity; cases of use of colour in struggle for existence. [see Descent 1: 395.]
Various facts about birds: pairing, finding new mates, protective coloration, polygamy, sexual differences.
Courtship of goldfinches. Male display. [See Descent 2: 95.]
Sexual selection of pigeons, ducks;
polygamous birds.
Relates a variety of facts about sexual selection in birds. [See Descent 2: 104–5.]
Experiments to test Wallace’s theory that brightly coloured caterpillars are rejected by birds. [See Descent 1: 417.]
Proportions of sexes in birds as reported by bird-catchers.
Sexual behaviour of chaffinches.
Numbers of female linnets in September.
His experiments on brightly coloured larvae [as food], testing A. R. Wallace’s theory.
His observations of a rookery make him wonder whether it may not be more difficult than we think for birds to pair.
Proportion of sexes in chaffinches.
Pugnacity of blackbirds and robins.
Harrison Weir reports up to nine eggs in starling nests.
Newspaper report of a sheep born with its owner’s brand.
George Rolleston’s son was born with a scar on his knee exactly where GR cut himself with a knife years before his marriage. Gives several other examples of inherited mutilation.
Describes a curious litter of rabbits.
Pairing of rooks, courtship of golden pheasant.
Behaviour of finch hybrids.
Seasonal coloration of birds; bright plumage results from sexual selection.
Instinct in birds; nest-building.
Inheritance of acquired characters.
Observations on root-climbers. Variegated and arborescent varieties of Hedera.
[CD’s notes are for his reply, 6165.]
Proportion of sexes in ruffs [see Descent 1: 306].
Colour display in linnets, songbirds. Courtship display of Australian pigeon at zoo.
Starlings find new mates readily. Nesting in threes common.
Recognition of song by birds.
Answers CD’s question on whether any female birds regularly sing.
Plumage of canaries; changes in plumage with successive moults.