From Sven Nilsson1 31 December 1868
Lund (Suède)
31 Decembre | 1868.
Très honoré Monsieur!
Enfin j’ai eu reponse d’un de mes amis à qui j’avais écrit pour avoir des renseignements sur le renne de la Lapponie. Ces renseignements sont donnés à mon ami d’un maître des eaux et forets à Jockmock en Lapponie.2 Ainsi ils doivent être sûrs, surtout comme il a consulté les Lappons les plus experts. Voici les avertissements que j’ai reçu:
1re Le faon du renne commence d’avoir des bois 4 ou 5 semaines après sa naissance, et les faons des deux sexes ont leurs bois au même age.3
2de Le renne mâle met bas les bois au milieu du mois de Novembre, et les nouveaux bois commencent à éclore presque à l’instant aprés que les vieux ont été jetés. Les bois viennent à leur parfaite grandeur au milieu du mois d’Aout. Le renne mâle châtré met les bois au milieu d’Avril, et la femelle au milieu du Mai, environ 10 jours après qu’elle a vêlée. Les bois du renne mâle chatré et de la renne femelle sont venus à leur plus grand developement au milieu d’Aout, mais le temps ou il met les bois depend de l’état plus ou moins complet de la castration, et le temps où la femelle met ses bois depend du temps quand elle a vêle.
En outre il faut observer qu’en general le temps de ces changements est plus tard chez les rennes des alpes que chez les rennes des forêts, les premiers ayant le paturage plus maigre que les derniers, ce qui est aussi la raison qu’ils sont plus petits et plus maigres.
Ce serait pour moi très satisfaisant si Vous trouviez quelques unes de ces notices utiles pour vos recherches, et si chelque chose manque encore, il sera pour moi bien agréable de Vous procurer les avertissements désirés.
Je suis très reconnaissant pour la lettre et le portrait dont Vous m’avez honoré et rejoui, et en échange j ai l’honeur de joindre ici ma photographie.4
Soyez persuadé de la haute consideration avec la quelle je suis votre très devoué | S. Nilsson
CD annotations
Footnotes
Bibliography
Columbia gazetteer of the world: The Columbia gazetteer of the world. Edited by Saul B. Cohen. 3 vols. New York: Columbia University Press. 1998.
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.
Translation
From Sven Nilsson1 31 December 1868
Lund (Sweden)
31 December | 1868.
Most honoured Sir!
I have finally had a response from one of the friends to whom I had written to obtain information about the reindeer of Lapland. This information was given to my friend by a master of waters and forests at Jokkmokk in Lapland.2 Therefore it must be certain, especially as he has consulted the most expert Lapps. Here is the information I have received:
1st The reindeer fawn begins to acquire antlers 4 or 5 weeks after its birth, and the fawns of both sexes acquire their antlers at the same age.3
2nd The male reindeer sheds his antlers in mid-November, and the new antlers begin to grow almost the instant the old ones have been shed. The antlers reach their ultimate size in mid-August. The castrated male reindeer puts on antlers in mid-April, and the female in mid-May, around 10 days after she has calved. The antlers of the castrated male reindeer and of the female reindeer have reached their maximum size by mid-August, but the date when the castrated male sheds his antlers depends on the extent of castration, and the date when the female sheds her antlers depends on the date she calved.
One should also observe that in general the time of such changes is later among the Alpine reindeer than among forest reindeer, the former having a leaner pasture than the latter, which is also the reason why they are smaller and leaner.
It would be most satisfactory to me if You were to find any of these notices useful for your research, and if anything should yet be lacking, it would be most agreeable to me to procure the desired information for You.
I am most grateful for the letter and the portrait with which You honoured and delighted me, and in exchange I have the honour of enclosing my photograph.4
Please be persuaded of the high esteem with which I am your most devoted | S. Nilsson
Footnotes
Bibliography
Columbia gazetteer of the world: The Columbia gazetteer of the world. Edited by Saul B. Cohen. 3 vols. New York: Columbia University Press. 1998.
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
On the development of horns in Lapland reindeer. [See Descent 1: 288.]
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-6517
- From
- Sven Nilsson
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Lund
- Source of text
- DAR 86: A41–2
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp (French) †
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 6517,” accessed on 19 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-6517.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 16
