From J. E. Gray 6 February 1868
Brit. Mus
Feb 6 1868
My Dear Darwin
Nathusius is not in any of the London Libraries I have sent to the Royal Zoological, Linnean, & our own without effect— I should like to see your copy1 I will not keep it more than a week, so that your carrier can call for it again.2
It is too late for me to refer to it I fear, but as the subject is fresh in my head, it would be interesting to see it3 I find the skull of all the Domestic Pig from different countries & breeds very much alike
You make so few references to the Knowsley Menagery & my monograph of Ungulates in the Museum Catalogue that I suspect you have not the [facility] of refering to it.4 I will send a copy of the work back by your carrier when he comes on Thursday.
I wish there were more references to the present state of Zoology, founded on the examination of Specimens & I think you would have found that Mr Blyth poor man is scarcely trustworthy about cats, &c &c, especially since his malady—5 He came here the other day when I had a set of the skulls of Indian or rather asiatic Rhinocerates on the table He said at once this is R. Indicus that R sondaicus, when all he was looking at were R Indicus the set of R. Sondaicus being on the other table which he had not seen.6
It is the same with respect to Felis chaus he say the Indian one in the Garden is exactly like the F Chaus of Egypt., they are unlike in skull, sizes of eyes Tail &c as can be, the Indian chaus been the same as F caffer & F caligulata which are all one species—7
Ever Yours sincerely | J. E Gray
You do not seem to be aware of the African Zebu Bos dante which is the Zebu of Egypt—8 figured in the [Hyeroglifics] & still found in W Africa
You mention instances of insanity be Heredittary9 It is doubtless so but some cases shew a curiously [illeg]
I knew & indeed had some things to do with them, as the 3 children of a dead friend. The Husbands of two of the sisters, died insane the third sister died insane or Idiotic, unmarried.
CD annotations
Footnotes
Bibliography
Blainville, Henri Marie Ducrotay de. 1841–55. Ostéographie, ou description iconographique comparée du squelette et du système dentaire des cinq classes d’animaux vertébrés récents et fossiles pour servir de base à la zoologie et à la géologie. 3 vols. and atlas (2 vols.). Paris: Arthus Bertrand.
Blyth, Edward. 1856. Curator’s report for the August meeting, 1856. Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 25 (1857): 439-49. [Vol. 5]
Blyth, Edward. 1862. A memoir on the living Asiatic species of Rhinoceros. Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 31: 151–75.
Blyth, Edward. 1863. Synoptical list of the species of Felis inhabiting the Indian region and the adjacent parts of middle Asia. [Read 26 May 1863.] Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London (1863): 181–6.
Brandon-Jones, Christine. 1995. Long gone and forgotten: reassessing the life and career of Edward Blyth, zoologist. Archives of Natural History 22: 91–5.
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Freeman, Richard Broke. 1978. Charles Darwin: a companion. Folkestone, Kent: William Dawson & Sons. Hamden, Conn.: Archon Books, Shoe String Press.
Gray, John Edward. 1846. Gleanings from the menagerie and aviary at Knowsley Hall. Knowsley: [privately printed].
Marginalia: Charles Darwin’s marginalia. Edited by Mario A. Di Gregorio with the assistance of Nicholas W. Gill. Vol. 1. New York and London: Garland Publishing. 1990.
Nathusius, Hermann von. 1864. Vorstudien für Geschichte und Zucht der Hausthiere zunächst am Schweineschädel. 1 vol. and atlas. Berlin: Wiegandt und Hempel.
Rookmaaker, L. C. 1983. Bibliography of the Rhinoceros. An analysis of the literature on the recent rhinoceroses in culture, history and biology. Rotterdam: A. A. Balkema.
Variation: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1868.
Summary
Would like a look at Nathusius.
Edward Blyth’s inability to recognise cats’ skulls.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-5846
- From
- John Edward Gray
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- British Museum
- Source of text
- DAR 165: 214
- Physical description
- ALS 5pp †
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 5846,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-5846.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 16