To W. B. Tegetmeier   28 [September 1856]1

Down Bromley Kent

28th.—

My dear Sir

Very many thanks for the Catalogue just received. If the Black Hen Carrier shd. be a good Bird (& if you do not know yourself, perhaps someone there can inform you), & I mean for my purpose with long beak & narrow flat head, I shd. be glad of one, for I might pick up a cock afterwards. The Roman Runt is, I presume the same as Runts of Anerly, of which breed I have pair from Mr Baily.2 By the way I doubt whether Mr Baker’s3 Scanderoons differ much from Runts, they have rather longer necks, & hardly any other difference. They have not the red seam down the breast.—

The Rabbits being in Hutches will go dear; but if any old one went cheap & appeared good, I shd. be very glad of it alive or strangled, as I have become almost more interested in Rabbits than anything else. In poultry I am getting less interested, though I am going on, & this very morning have sent four good Hens to be skeletonised.—4

For live Birds, I find the following the quickest address. diag C. Darwin

George Inn

Farnborough

[SYMBOL] Kent 5 (To be forwarded)ramme

You know so well what I want & are so very kind that I will leave to your judgment. Carriers are the only distinct Pigeons, which I have not had dead or alive.

Your’s very truly obliged | C. Darwin

What a splendid development of skull your young Polands have.6

1
Dated by the relationship to the letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, 21 September [1856].
2
John Bailey Jr of Mount Street and his father were expert breeders and dealers in ornamental birds, from whom CD purchased a number of different breeds.
3
Charles N. or Samuel C. Baker.
4
According to his Account book (Down House MS), CD paid for these skeletons on 7 October 1856.
5
A carrier left the George Inn, Borough High Street, and called at Farnborough, Kent every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday (Post Office London directory 1856).
6
See letters to W. B. Tegetmeier, 20 March [1856], n. 8 and 24 June [1856].

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.7 red] above del ‘read’
2.1 old] interl
2.2 or] added
4.1 what] above del ‘that’
4.2 distinct] interl

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-2068,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-2068