Ɛpsilon

To William Marshall   29 May 1875

Down, | Beckenham, Kent. | Railway Station | Orpington. S.E.R.

May 29. 75

Dear Sir

I thank you for your paper upon ostrich feathers.1 I received today from the President of the Trans Vaal Republic in South Africa a poor specimen of an ostrich feather illustrating an appearance often presented by the birds which are there cultivated.2 I have thought that you would like to see this feather but whether it is of any value I do not know

Believe me my dear Sir | yours sincerely | Charles Darwin

LS

1
Marshall had sent CD a copy of the journal Zoologische Garten with his article on the early plumage of ostriches (Marshall 1875a). CD’s copy is in the Darwin Pamphlet Collection–CUL.
2
Thomas François Burgers, president of the Transvaal Republic, had hoped to visit CD at Down (see letter from T. F. Burgers, 13 May 1875); it is possible that he made the visit on the 29 May. If the feather was sent by post, no covering letter from Burgers has been found.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-10000,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-10000