My dear Sir

I am very much obliged to you for your kindness in writing to me, & for your most obliging offer of the Pigeons, after you have succeeded in breeding some.¹ I hope to go to the Poultry Show on purpose to see these Birds.² I venture to trouble you with one question while the subject is fresh in your mind, viz, whether the Blue bird of the Boz Breed from Tunis, had (1) the double black Bar on wing; 2^d whether its rump above tail was white or blueish— 3^d whether there was double bar at end of tail (4^th) whether the basal outer margin of outer tail feather was white, as with Rock Pigeon, though of course, it is a mere chance whether you attended to this point.³ The reason I ask is, because I have found Blue birds with the foregoing characters, in all the Breeds, & it is one of my arguments, that all have descended from the Rock.⁴ If the Boz breed is very different from other Breeds, it would be highly desirable to pair your spare Hen with some other distinct breed, to test whether hybrids from it would be fertile like all other hybrids from domestic Pigeons.—⁵ Would you be so kind as to take the trouble to answer this query about the Blue Pigeon.— There seems a considerable amount of variation in the Boz Breed.—

Permit me once again to thank you for the kind manner in which you answered my questions about the Madeira Birds, & your answers have been extremely useful to me.—⁶ With apologies for having troubled you at such length, I beg leave to remain | Yours faithfully & obliged | Charles Darwin

P.S. | Should you have the misfortune to have any of your three Birds die, & if you do not want the skin, would you send it me by enclosed address? & I would have it skinned or skeletonised.

Please to copy the following address for Parcel, Exactly, and do not add my Post Address, as Parcels often go wrong.

C. Darwin, Esq., | Care of Mr. Acton, | Bromley, | Kent. Per Railway & (Per Coach.)⁷