To Robert Patterson 12 November [1857]1
Down, Bromley, Kent
Nov. 12 [1857]
My dear Mr. Patterson
The rabbits arrived safely last night after their long journey; & most sincerely do I thank you for the very great trouble you have taken to oblige me.2 Externally they seem to differ extremely little except perhaps in fulness of head, from the rabbit of this neighbourhood. But they shall be skeletonized.
I have now rabbits from Shetland, Madeira & Ireland and hope to receive one soon from Jamaica, so I shall have good means of comparison for ⟨ ⟩ to several domestic breeds3
If you remember whenever you see Lord Massarene I hope you will present my thanks for his great kindness.—4 When I have done with the Rabbit Skeletons for my own purpose I shall present ⟨ ⟩ to the Brit ⟨ ⟩ been thrown away & I well know that you work for Natural History from a pure love of Science
With my very sincere thanks pray believe me.
Footnotes
Bibliography
Praeger, William E. 1935. Six unpublished letters of Charles Darwin. Papers of the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters 20: 711–5. [Vols. 4,5,8]
Variation: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1868.
Summary
The [Irish] rabbits arrived safely. "They shall be skeletonized." CD now has rabbits from Shetland, Madeira and Ireland; hopes to receive one from Jamaica.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-2168
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Robert Patterson
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- W. E. Praeger 1935, p. 714
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 2168,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-2168.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 6