Darwin Correspondence Project

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– Skins Any domestic breed or race, of Poultry, Pigeons, Rabbits, Cats, & even dogs, if not too large, which has been bred for many generations in any little visited region, would be of great value, or even if recently imported from any unfrequented region. It w^d. be necessary to notice & select a characteristic specimen of adult animals of any breed.— In Poultry both cock & hen & especially the cock sh^d. be procured. The whole humerus & femur, & as much as possible of the cranium sh^d. be left on the skins.— Each specimen of sh^d be ticketed with native name, habitat & any procurable information. Specimens not bred for many generations in domestication are of no value.— I have written to for Pigeon & Poultry Skins^f2 diag Thwaites & Kellaert Ceylon.^f3 R. Fortune E. Blyth W. Vines India^f4 Sir R. Schomburgk^f5 D^r Nicholson, Antigua Th Bridges Panama D^r. Sutherland Natal E. Layard Cape of G. Hope^f6 J. C. Bowring Hong Kong^f7 Rajah Sir J. Brooke R. Wallace^f8 D^r Daniel Gambia^f9 Rev N. Davis Tunis^f10 Hon. C. Murray Persia^f11 Through M^r. Stephens for S. America^f12 Col. Sykes for E. Africa Consul Brand Angola,^f13 or M^r Gabriel M^r Parkes— Amoy^f14 R. Hill Spanish Town Jamaica^f15 Arabia/? East Africa/ M^r J. C. Bowring of Hong Kong has written^f16

to M^r Swinhoe of consulate at Amoy

to D^r Macgowan at Ningpo

D^r. W. A. Harland at Hong Kong to whom M^r Fortune has written M^r Fortune has written for me to & I have written to

D^r. Lockhart of Shanghai letters to care of M^ss Dent,

& Ed. Webb Esq^e of do Beal & Co of Hong Kong.

returned home^f17 Lieut Ferguson. Bombay. M^r Peter Wallace. [Farm Superintendant] Ascension.^f18 Rob. Swinhoe has promised spec^s from Amoy. W. Elliott^f19 says pigeons are on Roadramme

Footnotes

f1

The first part of this memorandum is a draft of a communication sent over a number of months to the individuals listed subsequently. CD evidently composed it during December 1855 as an aide-mémoire. The earliest known letter to an individual on CD’s list is letter to E. L. Layard, 9 December 1855, but see also letters to G. H. K. Thwaites, 10 December 1855, to C. A. Murray, 24 December 1855, and to Norton Shaw, secretary of the Royal Geographical Society, 25 December [1855].

f2

The list was written in ink on a separate piece of paper and at some time glued to the verso of the memorandum. CD subsequently made alterations in pencil (see nn. 4, 14, and 17, below).

f3

George Henry Kendrick Thwaites and probably Edward Frederick Kelaart, both of Ceylon. See letter to G. H. K. Thwaites, 10 December 1855.

f4

‘s India’ was added by CD in pencil. William Vine was an officer in the Madras cavalry.

f5

Robert Hermann Schomburgk.

f6

See letter to E. L. Layard, 9 December 1855.

f7

Sir John Bowring, governor of Hong Kong from 1854.

f8

Alfred Russel Wallace, who had left England in 1854 to collect natural history specimens in the Malay archipelago.

f9

See Correspondence vol. 6, letter from William Freeman Daniell, 8 October – 7 November 1856.

f10

Nathan Davis.

f11

See letter to Charles Augustus Murray, 24 December 1855.

f12

Possibly John Crace Stevens, who was an auctioneer and natural history dealer at 38 King Street, Covent Garden, London.

f13

George Brand. See letter to H. N. Shaw, secretary of the Royal Geographical Society, 25 December [1855].

f14

This entry was added in pencil by CD. Harry Smith Parkes was in government service in China, 1841–65.

f15

See Correspondence vol. 6, letter from Richard Hill, 10 January 1857.

f16

CD’s list was continued on a separate piece of paper that was pinned to the above list.

f17

CD added ‘returned home’ in pencil and crossed out Edward Webb’s name in pencil.

f18

See Correspondence vol. 6, letter from Peter Wallace, 10 September 1856.

f19

See Correspondence vol. 6, letter to Walter Elliot, 23 January 1856.