From Edward Blyth 4 August 1855
Summary
Sends a skeleton of a Bengal jungle cock.
Has never heard of trained otters breeding in captivity.
Introduced domestic rabbits are confined to the ports of India.
Canaries and other tame finches and thrushes brought into India do not breed well.
Origin of the domestic canary. Tendency of domesticated birds to produce "top-knot" varieties.
The tame geese of lower Bengal are hybrids; those of upper Bengal are said to be pure Anser cygnoides.
Wild Anser cinereus occur in flocks in the cold season.
Discusses at length different breeds of domestic cats and possible wild progenitors. Wild and domestic cats occasionally interbreed. The Angora variety breeds freely with the common Bengal cat and all stages of intermediates can be found.
Believes pigeons have been bred in India since remote antiquity.
Discusses whether mankind is divided into races or distinct species.
[CD’s notes are an abstract of this letter.]
| Author: | Edward Blyth |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 4 Aug 1855 |
| Classmark: | DAR 98: A69–A78 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1735 |
Matches: 2 hits
- … letter (DAR 203), CD here commented: ‘N.B how curious this tendency to top-knot in fowls, Ducks, even Pigeons’. Rüppell 1826– …
- … 1826–8 , pt 1, tab. 1. Bélanger 1834 , pp. 140–4. In his abstract (DAR 203), CD noted: ‘Ask, “what about the blue cats of Spain? ’ For Blyth’s reply, see notes from Edward Blyth , 7 September [1855]. Hutton 1848 and Blyth 1849b . In his abstract (DAR 203) following these references, CD later added in ink: ‘Probably crossing mentioned’. The pages given in the letter …
| letter | (1) |
| Blyth, Edward | (1) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (1) |
| Blyth, Edward | (1) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (1) |
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Matches: 1 hits
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Matches: 1 hits
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Summary
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Matches: 1 hits
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Matches: 1 hits
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Matches: 1 hits
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Summary
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Matches: 1 hits
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Summary
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Matches: 1 hits
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Matches: 1 hits
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Summary
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Matches: 1 hits
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Matches: 1 hits
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Summary
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Matches: 1 hits
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Summary
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Matches: 1 hits
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