To Director, Natura Artis Magistra   28 November 1868

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

Nov 28 1868

Sir

I hope you will excuse the liberty which I take in writing to you.

Mr Bartlett informs me that you breed both species of Pavo at Amsterdam,1 & he thinks that you would be so kind as to give me information on one point. It is whether the spurs in the young of Pavo muticus are developed earlier or later in life than in the young males of the Pavo cristatus.2 You will perceive that I wish to ascertain whether any relation exists between the period of the development of a part & its transmission to one sex or to both sexes.

Hoping that you will grant this favour I beg leave to remain | Sir | yours faithfully | Charles Darwin

LS

1
CD refers to Abraham Dee Bartlett. For more on the history of the zoological gardens ‘Natura Artis Magistra’ in Amsterdam, see De Vries 1981.
2
CD refers to two species of peafowl: Pavo muticus, in which both sexes possess leg spurs, and P. cristatus, in which only males have spurs (see letter from J. J. Weir, 23 March 1868 and nn. 6 and 7).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-6484F,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-6484F