RECORD: Darwin, C. R. 1855.02. Gould showed me a set of Pheasants - a so called pale Bohemian var. CUL-DAR205.7.145. Edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua and edited by John van Wyhe 3.2023. RN1
NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here. Reproduced with permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library and William Huxley Darwin. The volume CUL-DAR205.7 contains notes on hybridism, sterility and pigeons.
Feb/55/ Gould showed me a set of Pheasants — a so called pale Bohemian var. shot in England.
Thinks our pheasant hybrids; but ours differs slightly & very slightly (3) from the Colchican pheasant: there are, however, slight differences in transverse bars of tail & in white collar more or less perfect in some of our British Pheasants. There is a Chinese pheasant with white collar, which has been turned out & will live in England, but this differs considerably from our common Pheasant. There is an Altair Pheasant white-collared pheasant closer to ours, but then this is not known to have been turned out, & even its skins are excessively rare. Altogether I think it far more probable that the Colchican pheasant has sported in manner analogous to other species. (viz in white collar & in bars on tail) than that it has been hybridized.
Gould took opposite view
17
(Q)
[Quoted in Natural selection, p. 439.]
Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
File last updated 9 May, 2023