From B. P. Brent [May–June 1860?]1
Dear Sir,
I have to apolo⟨gise for⟩ not answering your enquiry ⟨about⟩ Canaries, throwing back, I ⟨am⟩ sorry I cannot furnish yo⟨u⟩ any authentic case, thoug⟨h I⟩ do not doubt but such of⟨ten⟩ do occur.2
You express a wish to see some of the latter volu⟨m⟩es of The Cottage Gardener.3 I have ⟨ ⟩s by me ⟨ ⟩ ⟨w⟩hich ⟨ ⟩ lend you ⟨ ⟩ but ⟨ ⟩ not bound. Should you ⟨wish it⟩ I would ta⟨ke o⟩ff the ⟨adver⟩tisment sheets, and forward ⟨ ⟩ as you may direct.
⟨I ha⟩ve just read your work on ⟨the⟩ Origin of Species through a second time, in your chapter on instinct you refer to the Cuck⟨oo⟩ laying in other birds nest4 I thought ⟨ ⟩ Pige⟨on⟩ ⟨ ⟩ interested ⟨ ⟩ notice that when a ⟨ ⟩ lays only a single egg, ⟨and⟩ the first has been broken, or she ⟨has⟩ been much disturbed, she ⟨w⟩ill frequently lay in another’s nest, a case in Point. A Scotch house Tumbler hen was about to lay having built and the cock was driving her to nest; April 24th. could feel the egg hard and ready to be deposited, toward evening ⟨ ⟩ ⟨t⟩he nest, ⟨ ⟩ laid ⟨ ⟩ and it ⟨ ⟩ with ⟨ ⟩ of young ⟨ ⟩ different part of the ⟨ ⟩ house, I immediately ⟨conc⟩luded she would not lay a se⟨cond⟩, which proved correct. She laid again on the 3rd & 5th. of May, sat and hatched a pair, I sat the odd egg under another pair but it did not hatch, I had kept it too long or perhaps it was never fertile—
I am | Dear Sir | Yours respectfully | B P Brent
To C Darwin Esqe
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
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
Cannot supply a case of atavism in canaries.
Will lend CD back issues of Cottage Gardener.
Cites case of bird (tumbler hen) laying egg in another’s nest.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-2778
- From
- Bernard Peirce Brent
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- unstated
- Source of text
- DAR 160.3: 297
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp damaged
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 2778,” accessed on 24 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-2778.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 8