To E. J. Pfeiffer 26 April [1871]1
Down. | Beckenham | Kent. S.E.
April 26
Madam
I am much obliged for your kindness in writing to me.2 I think it wd. have been an advantage if I had used the word fascination, but I intended to express some such idea when I join to charm admire &c, the word excite.—3
I fear that it wd. be very rash to use the illustration of the snake, as very few naturalists believe in snakes having any such power; though I myself am inclined to be a believer.4
Madam | Your obliged servant | Ch. Darwin
Footnotes
1
The year is established by the address, with ‘Bromley’ crossed out and ‘Beckenham’ added by hand, a form that CD used from April 1869 to May 1871, and by the reference to Descent (see n. 3, below), which was published in 1871.
2
See letter from E. J. Pfeiffer, [before 26 April 1871].
3
CD refers to Descent 2: 124, where he states that male birds ‘best able by their various charms to please or excite the female, are under ordinary circumstances accepted’.
4
See letter from E. J. Pfeiffer, [before 26 April 1871].
Summary
Thanks for EJP’s suggestion that it is fascination rather than aesthetic appreciation that drives sexual selection.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-7719F
- From
- Darwin, C. R.
- To
- Pfeiffer, E. J.
- Source of text
- Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago (Misc. 14)
- Physical description
- 1p
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 7719F,” accessed on 30 September 2016, http://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/DCP-LETT-7719F
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