To ? 31 December [1852–3]1
Down Bromley Kent
Dec. 31st
My dear Sir
It would give me real pleasure to assist you in any, the slightest, manner. The Coquimbo beds are described in my “Geological observations on S. America” p. 128— There were altogether 24 shells in the Carcharias bed,2 of which Mr Sowerby3 cd. not distinguish a Artemis & great Mytilus from recent species; & I feel sure that Balanus psittacus4 is recent, & I conclude that B. Coquimbensis is only a variety of another recent species, viz. B. lævis.5 There is much difficulty in deciding on age of the isolated Tertiary deposits on coast of Chile; the most probable conclusion seems to be that they are old Miocene or Eocene.— The generic character, I believe, is Miocene, but nearly all the species are distinct, & all according to M. d’Orbigny.—6
If you think it worth while you will see in work referred to, which is at Geolog. Soc, what little I have said on this subject.—
I shd. add that M. d’Orbigny does not agree with Mr Sowerby that the Artemis & Mytilus are recent species.—7
My dear Sir | Yours very sincerely | C. Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
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.
South America: Geological observations on South America. Being the third part of the geology of the voyage of the Beagle, under the command of Capt. FitzRoy RN, during the years 1832 to 1836. By Charles Darwin. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1846.
Summary
Responds to correspondent’s request for information about shells from the Coquimbo beds in Chile. Difficulty in deciding on age of deposits and species. Notes views of Alcide d’Orbigny.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-13872
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Unidentified
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- Houghton Library, Harvard University (Autograph File, D)
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 13872,” accessed on 20 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-13872.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 5