From W. B. Tegetmeier 13 March 1865
Muswell Hill | N
Monday March 13/65
My dear Sir
I have the page respecting the pigeons,1 and will forward it with the others.—2 I have concluded my experiments with the mongrels and having carried them on to three generations and not finding any trace of sterility I do not think it worth while to pursue the experiments further3
I have got out a few interesting results as to colour and the non reversion to either of the original varieties.4 I think as the Royal Society made a grant of £10 for the expenses I ought to send in a report or short paper.—5
I enclose feathers from the saddle or tail coverts of Spangled Hamburgh hen6
The cutting from the Field may perhaps interest you somewhat, being as the old writers used to say “written out of experience” and being very decidedly opposed to the instinctive theory respecting the homing of pigeons.—7
I am going over your MSS. but my eye still refuses a long course of exercise on white paper8
There is now being published in the Field a series of papers on the different varieties of pigeons, illustrated as the enclosed, each variety being done by a well known amateur of the breed.9
Trusting to hear of your continued improvement | Believe me | Very Truly Yours | W B Tegetmeier
C Darwin Esq
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Variation: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1868.
Summary
Will return page on pigeons.
Has concluded his crossing experiments and found no trace of hybrid sterility or loss of fertility.
The Field is publishing a series of papers on different pigeon varieties [24 (1864): 366, 395, 459; 25 (1865): 115, 139, 155, 228, 258].
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-4785
- From
- William Bernhard Tegetmeier
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Muswell Hill
- Source of text
- DAR 178: 63
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 4785,” accessed on 19 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-4785.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 13