To Japetus Steenstrup 16 October [1851]
Down Farnborough Kent
Oct. 16th.
My dear Sir
I beg to thank you most sincerely for your magnificent group of your Xenobalanus globicipitis. It so happens that I received a year ago some specimens taken from off a Porpoise north of Madeira,1 & was particularly interested in making out the same affinity to Coronula, as you specify.— From its affinity, also, to Tubicinella, I had called it in M.S. Siphonicella, & unfortunately have so referred to it in my volume going through the press, & in Lyells anniversary address to the Geolog. Soc. of London published last year.2 But as my name was not accompanied with a description, (only its affinities being mentioned) it has no authority. Will you kindly inform me soon where your name Xenobalanus is published,3 that I may put this name in the Corrigenda to my volume?—4
I am, also, much obliged for Reinhardts Paper on the Lithotrya;5 unfortunately I cannot read it, but the Plate is so good that it tells its own story, & first led me to understand the process of boring in Lithotrya.—6
You will, I hope, before this have received back all your valuable fossil specimens. Believe, I shall always feel grateful for the kind confidence you have reposed in me. As soon as my volume is published I will send you a Copy.—7
With sincere respect | Yours faithfully & obliged | Charles Darwin
May I present some of the specimens of the XenoBalanus to the British Museum?
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Fossil Cirripedia (1851): A monograph on the fossil Lepadidæ, or, pedunculated cirripedes of Great Britain. By Charles Darwin. London: Palaeontographical Society. 1851.
Living Cirripedia (1851): A monograph of the sub-class Cirripedia, with figures of all the species. The Lepadidæ; or, pedunculated cirripedes. By Charles Darwin. London: Ray Society. 1851.
Living Cirripedia (1854): A monograph of the sub-class Cirripedia, with figures of all the species. The Balanidæ (or sessile cirripedes); the Verrucidæ, etc. By Charles Darwin. London: Ray Society. 1854.
Reinhardt, Johannes Theodor. 1850. Om slægten Lithotryas Evne til at bore sig ind i Steenblokke. Videnskabelige Meddelelser fra den naturhistoriske Forening i Kjae9nbenhavn, pp. 1–8.
Steenstrup, Johannes Japetus Smith. 1852. Om Xenobalanus globicipitis, en ny Cirriped- Slægt af Coronulafamilien. Videnskabelige Meddelelser fra den naturhistoriske Forening i Kjae9nbenhavn, pp. 62–4.
Summary
Thanks him for specimens of Xenobalanus. Discusses systematic relations of the genus.
Comments on paper by J. T. Reinhardt ["Om slaegten Lithotryas", Vidensk. Medd. Naturhist. Foren. Kjobenhavn 2 (1850): 1–8].
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-1459
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Johannes Japetus Smith (Japetus) Steenstrup
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- Det Kongelige Bibliotek, Copenhagen (NKS 3460 4to)
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 1459,” accessed on 29 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-1459.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 5