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From Frederick Smith   27 June [1862]1

British Museum

27th. June

My dear Sir

I did not answer directly as I wished to show your insects to Mr. Walker—thinking as they belonged to a family he has monographed—I should get you the name generic as well as specific—2 Mr. Walker however does not come as usual—so I write to say that the insect belongs in my opinion—to the genus Tetrastichus— Fam. Chalcididæ ⁠⟨⁠    ⁠⟩⁠ I do not know— when I see Mr. Walker I will try and get the name—or names for I think the specimen with mottled or banded wings is distinct— you shall have all I can ascertain in a day or two

Yours very truly | Fredk Smith

Chas. Darwin Esqre.

Footnotes

1
The year is established by the relationship to the letter from Frederick Smith, 28 June 1862.
2
Smith refers to his colleague at the British Museum, the entomologist Francis Walker, and to Walker’s Monographia Chalciditum (Walker 1839). The letter in which CD asked Smith to identify these insects has not been found; however, see the letter from Frederick Smith, 28 June 1862 and n. 3.

Bibliography

Walker, Francis. 1839. Monographia Chalciditum. London: Hyppolitus Bailliere.

Summary

Roughly identifies some insects sent by CD; is waiting to see Francis Walker, who, he believes, has written a monograph on the family to which they belong.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-3622
From
Frederick Smith
To
Charles Robert Darwin
Sent from
British Museum
Source of text
DAR 177: 194
Physical description
ALS 2pp damaged

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 3622,” accessed on 19 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-3622.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 10

letter

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