From W. B. Tegetmeier   13 May 1872

My dear Sir.

I am sure you will pardon my offences when fairly acknowledged

Some time since I asked you for the skull of the “Horned Cock” figured by you— I find that you returned it in a small tin box separate from the others and thus it was mislaid pray excuse my troubling you—¹

I send you a photo shewing the bleaching action of the suns rays on “dun” feathers in pigeons— It was taken apropos of a discussion on the effect of light on Plumage. In which, knowing something about the subject practically, and my opponents only writing from supposition I came out victorious²

In your suggestion as to the possibility of breeding pigeons with different coloured sexes. Your supposition is strangely near the truth—³ “Silver” Dragons are often a sport from Blues—but they are almost always hens, and a silver hen and blue cock mated together will breed in the greatest number of instances a blue cock and silver hen in the same nest. Cocks are hard to procure, during the last two years I failed in procuring one and consequently bred 10 silver dragon hens but not one cock from, blue cocks and silver hens matched together

This year I have been fortunate in getting two silver cocks to breed from. they are both matched to silver hens, bred as before stated. The pair has had two nests. The first nest a blue cock and silver hen— the second a single blue bird two young to determine sex.— Second pair now breeding— There would be no difficulty in raising a breed in which all the cocks should be blue and the hens silver.— In fact the difficulty is not to do it—⁴

D^r Chapuis is quite right respecting the dark markings of cocks of the mealy or “pâle panaché” of the Belgian voyageurs—⁵

I send you two or three errata should you not have discovered them

You have been so kind as to send me a copy of all your later works, my edition of the Origin is the first (your gift)⁶   I want to read the last and I should indeed be pleased to have it like the others with your signature. forgive me if my request is impertinent but I am not often a beggar.—

I send you three notes that occurred to me as I read the volume;⁷, and should I put down any more I will send them.

You frequently quote E S Dixon   I do not regard him as a reliable authority   he is certainly wrong about the pairing of guinea fowls which you quote⁸

Believe me | very truly Yours | W B Tegetmeier

C Darwin Esq