skip to content

Darwin Correspondence Project

To Otto Zacharias   17 April [1878]

I have never attended to the insects in question.— I have sent the photographs to London & will endeavour to get the genus at least named.— There may be some delay before I receive an answer.— It seems a beautiful case of protective resemblance.—1

C. Darwin

Ap. 17. Down, Beckenham, Kent

Footnotes

The letter from Zacharias has not been found. The photographs were of insects in the genus Pterochroza, leaf-mimic katydids. CD sent them, and the letter, to Raphael Meldola, who sent them, for confirmation of the name he assigned them, to James Wood-Mason (see Correspondence vol. 26, letter to Raphael Meldola, 17 April 1878, and letter from Raphael Meldola, 23 May 1878).

Bibliography

Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.

Summary

Doesn’t know anything about the insects in question, but has sent the photographs on to an expert in London.

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 11478F,” accessed on 18 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-11478F.xml

letter