From Archibald McNeill 20 February 1869
Summary
Answers CD’s letter of 15 Feb about voice of female and odour of stag red deer.
| Author: | Archibald McNeill |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 20 Feb 1869 |
| Classmark: | DAR 83: 177–8 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-6624 |
Matches: 10 hits
- … Answers CD’s letter of 15 Feb about voice of female and odour of stag red deer. …
- … a small herd of females has generally one large or master Stag with them who is constantly …
- … bellowing & chasing off the younger Stags from the …
- … be in such a state of irritation that the Stags are constantly passing urine— Believe me …
- … herd This Stag occasionally leaves the females & goes to one of the holes he has made on …
- … himself in the water of any stream or loch— Stags usually (in a wild state) feed during …
- … most & loudest during the night— I have never heard a young stag under 3 years old roar, …
- … nor am I aware that Stags roar when fighting tho’ their fights almost …
- … take place during the rutting season— The Stags emit no strong odour during the rutting …
- … mention that during the rutting season the stags eat little & are so much reduced during …
From Archibald McNeill 24 January 1869
Summary
Answer to CD’s query as to whether horns on deer are for use or ornament. [See Descent 2: 252–3.]
| Author: | Archibald McNeill |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 24 Jan 1869 |
| Classmark: | DAR 83: 175–6 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-6574 |
Matches: 6 hits
- … in combat than three points and in fact stags frequently have only one point—but the brow …
- … Gen y . known that I have frequently seen Stags in a half tame serve Cows, but of course …
- … there was no proginy— The long hair on the Stags neck may be intended for ornamint but it …
- … a dog killed by a deer for my dogs were deer hounds & not Stag hounds and were used only …
- … for coursing, and as a Stag will not turn to bay till he is exhausted a good deer hound …
- … fights with each other but I have seen stags in a half tame state use them when fighting …
Document type
| letter | (2) |
Addressee
| Darwin, C. R. | (2) |
Correspondent
| Darwin, C. R. | (2) |
| McNeill, Archibald | (2) |
Date
| 1869 | (2) |
Search:
stag in keywords
2 Items
Darwin in letters, 1868: Studying sex
Summary
The quantity of Darwin’s correspondence increased dramatically in 1868 due largely to his ever-widening research on human evolution and sexual selection.Darwin’s theory of sexual selection as applied to human descent led him to investigate aspects of the…
Matches: 1 hits
- … plumage of some male birds and the huge mandibles of male stag beetles. Such characteristics, he …
Sexual selection
Summary
Although natural selection could explain the differences between species, Darwin realised that (other than in the reproductive organs themselves) it could not explain the often marked differences between the males and females of the same species. So what…
Matches: 1 hits
- … on overall ‘vigour’ – weapons such as the horns on a stag or the spurs on a cock. Sexual selection, …
