From Harrison William Weir 23 March 1869
Weirleigh | Brenchley Kent.
March 23rd. 1869
Dear Sir
Since I last wrote to you I have been collecting information as to the numbers of the different sexes in the families of birds and Animals1
As regards Pigs
Most of the breeders that I have consulted on the matter tell me that the average of males to females is about 7 to 6,2 but my own observation though limited makes them nearly if not quite 8 males to 6 females and one litter that I met with of 13 (of which I purchased 2) there were no less than 12 males and only 1 female. Once at Halifax I was shewn one of neither sex a little of each.
As regards Pigeons
There are more cocks then hens, I have often bred two cocks in a nest, but seldom two hens.3 The hen in the nest is generally the weaker bird of the two, and is much more liable to die in rearing. Supposing that you were breeding from two blues, the hen of the two young ones frequently (perhaps not very so) comes out a silver color, but I do not remember a visa versa case. In breeding from two reds the hen in nest is sometimes yellow while the cock bird is red.
With regards to the likes and dislikes
Some of the fanciers have informed me that their hens will often take a fancy to one particular cock and often leave their own mates this I have also known to be the case with my own birds but not frequent
Pheasants.
Mr. Baker4 of Leadenhall market tells me that in breeding the above, he generally gets 4 to 5 Cocks to 1 hen. When out shooting (where we have killed all rising or rather shot at) I have noticed the great preponderance of cocks, when the bag has been laid out.
Pigeons
Mr. Ridpeth of Manchester keeping blue Rock pigeons has noticed that they drive off any other color, such as yellow, reds, and whites5
Tame Rabbits.
I have kept rabbits many years, and have noticed the far greater number of bucks than does. I kept an account last year 1868 on purpose for you and out of three litters 15 in all I only had one doe. I will keep an acct again this year.6
I have had my Rabbits some generations back, but curiously enough I bred a long hair last year It is grey and a buck. The hair is very long. I have kept it on purpose to see if the breed from it will be long haired. I have one litter now about 6 weeks old from it all smooth I shall try again as an experiment or if you would like to have it I shall be most happy to send it you. I found that the doe rabbits did not care so much for his attentions as the smooth buck Rabbits are different from any other any animals I know. They will receive the attention of the buck though with young, even up to the day before kindling and if put to different bucks seem not particular as to how many this is curious so excuse my mentioning it as I know of no other animal like it.
Breeding singing birds
I am informed that the best singing bird (cock) generally gets a mate first when they are bred in rooms.
A Poultry breeder told me a few days since (He keeps Bramah Poutras and Spanish) that some years his Spanish run mostly to cocks and the Bramahs the opposite.7 Then the next year the Bramah are mostly cocks possibly, but he seems to have the idea that there is something in the season that helps the breeding in some way, this (if true) seems to carry out my notice of the sheep some seasons having more twins
CD annotations
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Descent: The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1871.
Summary
Proportion of sexes in pigeons, pigs, and pheasants.
Sexual preferences of females.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-6680
- From
- Harrison William Weir
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Brenchley
- Source of text
- DAR 86: C10, DAR 84.1: 118
- Physical description
- inc †
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 6680,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-6680.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 17