From A. D. Bartlett 16 May 1872
Zoological Society’s Gardens, | Regent’s Park, | London, N.W.
May 16th. 1872
Dear Sir
I turned a Snake loose into the yard with 2 of Grotes Porcupines, one of them shook his tail at the sight of the Snake, the other did not, but gnashed his teeth and appeared much inclined to bite the snake, I then tried the Crested Porcupine he did not shake his tail, but set his spines up and I thought he would attack the snake with his teeth1 he walked round the snake and appeared angry but did not touch it— I then put the Snake into the yard with the little Java Porcupine2 but he was evidently frightened of the snake and kept as far from it as possible but did not rattle his tail. I believe from what I saw that the Porcupine if hungry and in a wild state met with a snake he would kill and eat it,
Yours faithfully | A D Bartlett
Chas. Darwin Esq.
Footnotes
Bibliography
Expression: The expression of the emotions in man and animals. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1872.
Summary
Reports aggressive reactions of three kinds of porcupines to a snake, concluding that in the wild they would probably kill and eat it [see Expression, pp. 93–4]
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-8332
- From
- Abraham Dee Bartlett
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Zoological Society Gardens
- Source of text
- DAR 160: 47
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 8332,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-8332.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 20