RECORD: Darwin, C. R. [1877].10.17-18. Pharbitis Convolvulus / Descent of man, vol. 1. CUL-DAR209.4.177. (John van Wyhe ed., 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua and John van Wyhe, edited by John van Wyhe 9.2022. RN2
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-DAR209.4 contains materials for Darwin's book Movement in plants (1880).
Draft of Descent in the hand of Ebenezer Norman with corrections by Darwin.
[177]
Oct 17
Pharbitis Convolvulus
Horizontal Glass Vertical glass
2 dots to each 2 dots to ea
8. 55 8. 55
Left Right Left Right
9. 27 to light 9º. 27 to light 9. 27' tremendous rise 9. 27 do
new dot new dot
o o 9. 36 9. 36
10. 30 to light 10. 30 back & to right 10. 35 greatly up
10 . 35 up much
11. 15 do 11º 15 apparently a trace back to light 11. 15 do do 11. 15
12 a very little to right 12 a trace back on same line 12º risen out of glass 12º — much up
1º same course 1º to light & left do 1º do 1º
1. 47'— almost same point 1. 47 a little bit Left 1. 47 do do. 1. 48.
2º 48 same course 2. 48. same course 2. 50 do 2. 50' now risen out of glass
3. 53 a little to left 3. 53 move from little of left 3. 53 do —— do
5. 15 curled back 5º 15 curled back 5 15 do do
8 12 gong back 8º 12 gong back 8º 12 come on glass 8º 12 come on glass
(I think whole movement is up during day & down at night
10. 30 same course do 10º. 30' very far down do
Oct 18th 6. 45
7º. 15
10º 15 15' Red dots & all 4 faces
risen on vertical glass
———
18th Darkened 1 Cot same as before
10º 30'. Blue spot
11º. 10' rising
11º 45 do
12. 15 gone down..
do 12 50
do 3. .
do almost out glass 4'
(Used)
[177v]
68 80
Chap. 8
at night. These statements may apparently be trusted, because the same man said that the sexes are about equal with the Lark, the twite (Linaria montana) and Goldfinch. On the other hand he is certain that with the common linnet, the females preponderate greatly, but unequally during different years; during some years he has found the females to the males as four to one, It should, however, be borne in mind that the chief season for catching birds does not begin till September, so that partial migration may have occurred, for and the flocks at this period often consist of hens alone. Mr. Salvin paid particular attention to the sexes of the Humming birds which he collected in Central America, and is convinced that with most of the species the males are in excess; thus one year he procured 204 specimens belonging to ten species, and these consisted of 166 males and of 38 females. With two other species the females were in excess: but the proportions apparently vary either during different seasons or in different localities; for on one occasion the males of Campylopterus hemileucurus were to the females as five to two, and on another occasion 48*(M) in exactly the reversed ratio. As bearing on this latter point, I may add
[Descent 1: 307: "The males of the black-bird, he likewise maintained, were by far the most numerous, whether caught by traps or by netting at night. These statements may apparently be trusted, because the same man said that the sexes are about equal with the lark, the twite (Linaria montana), and goldfinch. On the other hand he is certain that with the common linnet, the females preponderate greatly, but unequally during different years; during some years he has found the females to the males as four to one. It should, however, be borne in mind, that the chief season for catching birds does not begin till September, so that with some species partial migrations may have begun, and the flocks at this period often consist of hens alone. Mr. Salvin paid particular attention to the sexes of the humming-birds in Central America, and he is convinced that with most of the species the males are in excess; thus one year he procured 204 specimens belonging to ten species, and these consisted of 166 males and of 38 females. With two other species the females were in excess: but the proportions apparently vary either during different seasons or in different localities; for on one occasion the males of Campylopterus hemileucurus were to the females as five to two, and on another occasion48 in exactly the reversed ratio. As bearing on this latter point, I may add, that Mr. Powys found in Corfu and Epirus the sexes of the chaffinch keeping apart, and "the females by far the most numerous;" whilst in Palestine Mr. Tristram found "the male flocks appearing greatly to exceed the female in number."49
47 Mr. Jenner Weir received similar information, on making enquiries during the following year. To shew the number of chaffinches caught, I may mention that in 1869 there was a match between two experts; and one man caught in a day 62, and another 40, male chaffinches. The greatest number ever caught by one man in a single day was 70."]
Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
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