To George Johnston 6 September 1853
Down, Bromley, Kent.
Sept. 6, 1853.
My dear Sir
I am extremely much obliged to you for the Balani in the Gorgoniæ:1 I know only four species of this form and habit; one American and so out of the question, and by a strange chance your lot includes all 3 other kinds, which differ very materially from each other. One of them is so rare that I have never seen but one specimen and that without any habitat;2 and I did not know at all certainly the habitat of another, so your specimens are extremely useful to me. I presume that the two larger separated specimens in yellow Gorgoniæ3 came from same habitat: if they did not, will you kindly inform me; but if I do not hear, I will assume that all come from the same place, viz., near Madras.
I have lately received from Van Voorst your Flora of the Eastern Borders:4 I have looked at parts with much pleasure; you will, perhaps, think it odd, but I was particularly charmed with the Preface; its style called up to my mind the writing of old and best authors: I look forward with interest to the Zoological Part,5 which is more in my line.
Pray believe me, with many thanks My dear Sir | Yours very sincerely | C. Darwin.
Footnotes
Bibliography
Johnston, George. 1853. Terra Lindisfarnensis. The natural history of the eastern borders. Vol. I: The botany. London.
Living Cirripedia (1854): A monograph of the sub-class Cirripedia, with figures of all the species. The Balanidæ (or sessile cirripedes); the Verrucidæ, etc. By Charles Darwin. London: Ray Society. 1854.
Summary
Thanks for rare Balanus specimens. Asks about their source.
Comments on GJ’s book [Terra Lindisfarnensis (1853)].
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-1531
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- George Johnston
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- DAR 146: 7
- Physical description
- C 2pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 1531,” accessed on 19 October 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-1531.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 5