18661872] SEXUAL SELECTION Jl 



approve of my book ; I thought every mortal man would find Letter 438 

 the details very tedious, and have often repented of giving 

 so many. You will find pangenesis stiff reading, and I fear 

 will shake your head in disapproval. Wallace sticks up for 

 the great god Pan like a man. 



The fertility of hybrid canaries would be a fine subject for 

 careful investigation. 



To J. Jenner Weir. Letter 439 



Down, April 4th [1868]. 



I read over your last ten (!) letters this morning, and made 

 an index of their contents for easy reference ; and what a 

 mine of wealth you have bestowed on me. I am glad you 

 will publish yourself on gay-coloured caterpillars and birds ; l 

 it seems to me much the best plan ; therefore, I will not 

 forward your letter to Mr. Wallace. I was much in the 

 Zoological Gardens during my month in London, and picked 

 up what scraps of knowledge I could. Without my having 

 mentioned your most interesting observations on the display 

 of the Fringillidae, 2 Mr. Bartlett told me how the Gold 

 Pheasant erects his collar and turns from side to side, 

 displaying it to the hen. He has offered to give me notes on 

 the display of all Gallinaceae with which he is acquainted ; 

 but he is so busy a man that I rather doubt whether he will 

 ever do so. 



I received about a week ago a remarkably kind letter from 

 your brother, and I am sorry to hear that he suffers much in 

 health. He gave me some fine facts about a Dun Hen 

 Carrier which would never pair with a bird of any other 

 colour. He told me, also, of some one at Lewes who paints 



1 See Descent of Man, Ed. I., vol. I., p. 417, where Mr. Weir's 

 experiments are given ; they were made to test Mr. Wallace's theory that 

 caterpillars, which are protected against birds by an unpleasant taste, have 

 been rendered conspicuous, so that they are easily recognised. They 

 thus escape being pecked or tasted, which to soft-skinned animals would 

 be as fatal as being devoured. See Mr. Jenner Weir's papers, Transact. 

 Entomolog. Soc., 1869, p. 2 ; 1870, p. 337. In regard to one of these 

 papers Mr. Darwin wrote (May I3th, 1869): "Your verification of 

 Wallace's suggestion seems to me to amount to quite a discovery." 



2 Descent of Man (1901), p. 738. 



