Ɛpsilon

To Otto Zacharias   17 April [1878]

I have never attended to the insects in question.— I have sent the photographs to London & will endeavour to get the genus at least named.— There may be some delay before I receive an answer.— It seems a beautiful case of protective resemblance.—1

C. Darwin

Ap. 17. Down, Beckenham, Kent

ApcS

Postmark: AP 17 | 78

1
The letter from Zacharias has not been found. The photographs were of insects in the genus Pterochroza, leaf-mimic katydids. CD sent them, and the letter, to Raphael Meldola, who sent them, for confirmation of the name he assigned them, to James Wood-Mason (see Correspondence vol. 26, letter to Raphael Meldola, 17 April 1878, and letter from Raphael Meldola, 23 May 1878).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-11478F,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-11478F