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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

1
Dated on the assumption that CD wrote the letter before publishing Living Cirripedia (1854), to which he does not refer. He had recommenced working on Balanus late in 1852 (see ‘Journal’; Correspondence vol. 5, Appendix I).
2
The Tertiary bed at Herradura Bay, Chile, characterised by the great numbers of bones of Cetacea and sharks teeth ‘closely resembling those of the Carcharias megalodon.’ (South America, pp. 128–9).
3
George Brettingham Sowerby had described CD’s collection of fossil shells for South America.
4
See Living Cirripedia (1854): 207–8. Balanus psittacus is a synonym of Austromegabalanus psittacus, the giant barnacle. CD stated that he had seen one specimen attached to Mytilus magellanicus (a synonym of Aulacomya atra, the Magellan mussel).
5
See Living Cirripedia (1854): 227–8. Balanus coquimbensis is a synonym of B. laevis subsp. coquimbensis.
6
Alcide Charles Victor Dessalines d’Orbigny had also examined CD’s South American fossil shells (South America, p. iv). See Correspondence vol. 3.

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

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