WCP1740

[1]¹

Parkstone, Dorset

March 20th 1896

My dear Sclater²

Can you throw any light on the curious fact stated by Darwin³ (in his Animals & Plants⁴ vol. I. p. 114) as to the Porto Santo rabbits which lived for nearly 4 years at the Zoo. Gardens losing some of their peculiar characters, as shown by a specimen sent here which had died. Romanes,⁵ in his Darwin & after Darwin.⁶ vol. 2 - p. 215, makes much of this as showing influence & change of conditions during 4 years.

What I should like to know is whether this change of colour was [2] progressive during the four years, or whether it was due to the illness or unhealthy state of the animal before death. Romanes argues that the change of conditions from Spain to Porto Santo produced the change ^{from the normal type,} and the change from Porto Santo to England produced another change or refversion to the normal colouration the species.

Is there any record in the Society’s books to this change? Did it occur to both the rabbits? Darwin mentions only one [3] but Romanes seems to assume that both changed.

Yours very truly | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]

P. L. Sclater Esq. F.R.S.