Declines writing testimonial for AN for the Cambridge Professorship in Zoology. The post requires expertise in comparative anatomy and histology, whereas AN’s work is on habits and colours of birds.
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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.
Declines writing testimonial for AN for the Cambridge Professorship in Zoology. The post requires expertise in comparative anatomy and histology, whereas AN’s work is on habits and colours of birds.
Thanks for potatoes, which may be useful in crossing.
Germination of seeds in earth on partridge’s foot.
Eighty-two plants have germinated from earth on wounded partridge’s foot.
CD has thrown away injured partridge’s foot.
Seeks explanation of the case of the Rhynchaea, of which the female is more beautiful than the male, with the young resembling the latter. Wallace has told CD that at Nottingham AN explained this by the male being the incubator.
Does the male black Australian swan, or the black and white S. American swan, differ from the female in colour of plumage?
Thanks for the information about the male plumage. [See 5374.] Will look to the papers in Ibis to which AN has referred him. He finds AN’s theory captivating.
Thanks for information about the dotterel.
CD had ascertained by dissection that the female of the carrion-hawk of the Falkland Islands is very much brighter coloured than the male. Has inquired about its nidification. Mentions other instances of female birds that are brighter and more beautiful than the males and suggests causes for this anomaly.
Thanks for corrections of errors [in Variation].
Sends tuber of Chilean wild potato, requested through Hooker and P. L. Sclater.
Plans to exhibit a bird’s foot with a large ball of clay attached. This phenomenon supports CD on seed dispersal.
Tells CD where to pick up the partridge’s foot with the ball of earth attached; sends a copy of his remarks on the same. [See Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 3d ser. 13 (1864): 99–101.]
Marvels that seeds from the lump of clay on the partridge’s foot have germinated. At Zoological Society [J. E.?] Gray ridiculed him. Now Frank Buckland would like to see the specimen.
CD need not worry about having discarded the partridge’s foot.
Asks CD to support his candidacy for Professorship of Zoology at Cambridge. Since he has spent many years travelling, he is not well enough known at the University.
CD need not apologise for not writing a testimonial for him. He knows comparative anatomy, although he has confined his publication to ornithology. Agrees that with a few members of the University a recommendation from CD would be harmful.
Thanks for new edition of Origin [4th ed.].
Has met CD’s son [George] at Trinity College.
Suggests that, in some birds, plumage of males is less colourful than that of females; the reason is that the males perform the duties of incubation [see Descent 2: 204 n.].
Male dotterels take care of young and are less brilliantly coloured than females.
Thanks CD for present [of Variation].
Congratulates CD on success of his son George in mathematical tripos.
Regrets Frank [Darwin] did not pass the Trinity scholarship examination, but he hears Frank did well on the viva voce part.
Pleased CD is willing to help the University’s Museum of Zoology; he encloses the printed appeal.