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Darwin Correspondence Project

To W. B. Tegetmeier   10 August [1866]1

Down. | Bromley. | Kent, S.E.

Aug 10

My dear Sir

I am very much obliged for the sight of the feathers now returned; they are extremely curious & I will add a sentence after your remark about pencilling. I have seen the feathers of the other hybrids which you have sent me.2

Many thanks for the offer of the electro types; but nearly similar drawing are now being cut for me on wood.3

I enclose a scrap with reference to Mr Hewit’s paper: I find I was wrong, for it refers to the Gold laced bantam.4

Many thanks about the wood-cuts.5

Believe me yours very faithfully | Ch. Darwin

Footnotes

The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, 4 August [1866].
Tegetmeier had remarked on the transverse blue bands on the tail feathers of a hybrid between Gallus varius and the common hen (see letter from W. B. Tegetmeier, 2 August 1866 and n. 4). He had enclosed the feathers of the bird, together with those of a hybrid between G. sonneratii and the red game-hen with his letter of [after 4 August 1866] (see letter from W. B. Tegetmeier, [after 4 August 1866], and nn. 8 and 9).
CD had remarked that the saffron colour of the feathers of a Sebright hen had not been mentioned in Edward Hewitt’s published account of the bird (see letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, 4 August [1866]). Tegetmeier asked for the reference to Hewitt’s paper (Hewitt 1864), and noted that as the feathers were from a golden Sebright or laced hen, they would have this colour (letter from W. B. Tegetmeier, [after 4 August 1866]).
Tegetmeier had agreed to have changes made to several of the woodcuts for Variation. See letter from W. B. Tegetmeier, [after 4 August 1866].

Bibliography

Hewitt, Edward. 1864. Hen pheasant assuming the plumage of the male bird. Journal of Horticulture and Cottage Gardener n.s. 6 (1864): 37–8.

Summary

Thanks WBT for help with woodcuts [for Variation].

Has returned WBT’s curious feathers.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-5187
From
Charles Robert Darwin
To
William Bernhard Tegetmeier
Sent from
Down
Source of text
Archives of the New York Botanical Garden (Charles Finney Cox Collection)
Physical description
LS 2pp

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 5187,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-5187.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 14

letter