Ɛpsilon

To H. B. Tristram   4 July 1868

Down. | Bromley. | Kent. S.E.

July 4 1868

My dear Sir

I thank you very sincerely for your letter which is most interesting to me.

Your answers are quite clear & full, & give me exactly the information I which I wanted.1

I am afraid I have caused you a great deal of trouble—

Pray accept my thanks & believe me yours very faithfully | & much obliged | Ch. Darwin

How very curious the case of the bright-colour⁠⟨⁠ed⁠⟩⁠ birds which conceal themselves in holes!2

LS(A) photocopy

1
Tristram had answered CD’s questions about the coloration of desert birds; see Correspondence vol. 24, Supplement, letter to H. B. Tristram, 4 June 1868, and Correspondence vol. 16, letter from H. B. Tristram, 1 July 1868.
2
In his letter of 1 July 1868 (Correspondence vol. 16), Tristram had commented, ‘I should add that in a group of desert birds which depend for their safety not on escaping observation, but on refuge in holes or crevices of rocks, the plumage is remarkably bright & conspicuous.’

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

4.1 & much … holes! 5.2] in CD’s hand

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-6267G,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-6267G