Ɛpsilon

To Edward Hewitt   [c. 22 March 1868]1

Dear Sir—

several y. ago you gave me very valuable information;2 I know I have no claim to trespass on your k. but if you cd spare time in course of next few weeks to reflect on following points & give me any facts, I shd be grateful.— You have stated that when pheasant cocks (but I am writing this letter from home & have not my reference at hand) were placed with common hens, they preferred certain birds & disliked others. Sir R. H. also states that a certain p. P. could win the affection of all his hens.—3 Now I am writing on secondary sexual character, as so called by J. Hunter,4 & I am anxious to collect all facts in regard to the courtship of birds,—on the individual attachment of particular birds to each other—on certain males preferring particular females from their plumage, voice, or other unknown qualities & more especially in regard to females preferring particular males.— Have you observed (& I know you have had wider experience than almost any other man in England) anything of the kind with fowls, ducks or other Birds— Will a common hen ever evince any choice with which male to unite, when many birds first run together? Or is it mere chance. I shd be truly obliged for any facts on the above heads. In a work recently published viz Dom. Animals & Plants I have made great use of the various valuable observations which you have recorded in various publications, & I hope I have done some slight service in bringing these facts to the notice of scientific naturalists5

Pray excuse the liberty which I take in writing to you | & I remain Dear Sir | Yours faithfully | C. Darwin

P.S. I will add that I am collecting, partly with the aid of Mr Tegetmeier—on the proportion of males and females in all domestic quadrupeds & birds—6 If you have kept any records of the [work] it wd be of great interest if I might use & follow it—

ADraftS

1
The date is established by the relationship between this letter, the letter to J. J. Weir, 22 March [1868], and the letter from Edward Hewitt, 28 March 1868.
2
Hewitt had provided information on hybrid fowls (see Correspondence vol. 6, letters from Edward Hewitt, 18 December 1857 and 22 December 1857).
3
See letter to J. J. Weir, 22 March [1868], n. 4. CD refers to Robert Heron and Heron 1835.
4
In his essay, ‘An account of an extraordinary pheasant’ (Hunter 1786, p. 63), John Hunter wrote: ‘The differences which are found in the parts of generation themselves, I shall call the first, or principle; and all others depending upon these I shall call secondary.’ CD refers to Hunter’s definition in Descent 1: 253.
5
Hewitt is frequently cited on the subject of fowls in Variation.
6
In his letter of 11 February [1868], CD had asked William Bernhard Tegetmeier for help in discovering the proportion of males to females in various domestic animals. Tegetmeier published CD’s request in the Field, 22 February 1868, p. 144

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.1 several] after del ‘You’
1.1 you] interl
1.4 letter] interl
1.4 my] above del ‘the’
1.6 also] interl
1.7 J.] interl
1.8 in regard to] above del ‘on’
1.9 to each other] interl
1.9 certain] below del ‘the’
1.10 from their … qualities] interl
1.10 in regard 1.11] above del ‘on’
1.11 (& … England) 1.12] interl
1.14 with] interl
1.14 to unite] interl
1.14 birds first] interl
1.14 first] after del illeg
1.14 Or] after del ‘she will pair unite?’
1.15 facts] after del ‘or all such’
1.15 on the above heads.] added over ‘.—’
1.15 viz … Plants 1.16] interl
1.16 great] after del illeg
1.17 various publications] ‘various’ pencil above del pencil ‘scattered’
1.17 have done] above ‘may in’
1.18 service] above del ‘degree have aided’
1.18 facts] interl
2.1 the liberty] after del ‘me taking’
2.1 which I take] interl
2.2 faithfully] before del ‘& obliged’
3.1 I will] after del ‘As I am [writing]’
3.1 partly] after del ‘chiefly’
3.1 the aid of] interl
3.1 on the proportion … birds 3.2] above del ‘aid, [illeg]’
3.3 kept] after del illeg
3.3 of the [work]] interl

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-5963,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-5963