To P. L. Sclater 4 February [1860]1
Down Bromley Kent
Feb 4th
My dear Sir
I thank you extremely for your list of the Galapagos Birds, & I trust that it will be in time for a note at end of my Journal, & will likewise do to correct the Origin of Species.—2
The wren is Sylvicola aureola figured in Zoology of Beagle;3 I have assumed that it confined to the Archipelago. I am surprised that the Zenaida “probably occurs on Mainland”.—4
Do you remember my asking you to be so very kind as to keep in mind & make memorandum for me of any cases of abnormal parts in Birds being variable. Will you kindly run your eye through enclosed list5 (& after having looked through it, tear it up) & then you will see the sort of cases, which interest me, & very grateful I shall be for any assistance on this head.—
With my best thanks for your kind assistance | Believe me | Yours sincerely | C. Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Birds: Pt 3 of The zoology of the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle. By John Gould. Edited and superintended by Charles Darwin. London: Smith, Elder and Co. 1839–41.
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Harris, Michael. 1974. A field guide to the birds of Galapagos. London.
Journal of researches (1860): Journal of researches into the natural history and geology of the countries visited during the voyage of HMS Beagle around the world, under the command of Capt. FitzRoy RN. By Charles Darwin. Reprint edition. London: John Murray. 1860.
Natural selection: Charles Darwin’s Natural selection: being the second part of his big species book written from 1856 to 1858. Edited by R. C. Stauffer. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1975.
Origin 3d ed.: On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. 3d edition, with additions and corrections. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1861.
Origin: On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1859.
Summary
Thanks PLS for list of Galapagos birds.
Mentions note he will add to Journal [of researches (1860)]
and correction he will make in Origin [3d ed. (1861)].
Asks PLS about variability in "abnormal parts of birds".
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-2684
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Philip Lutley Sclater
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.195)
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 2684,” accessed on 1 September 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-2684.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 8