RECORD: Darwin, C. R. [1868]. Blind beetles. CUL-DAR81.158. Edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua and edited by John van Wyhe 2.2022. 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 volumes CUL-DAR80-86 contain material for Darwin's book Descent of man (1871).
Darwin refers to the 12 February 1868 letter from Charles Owen Waterhouse. Darwin cited this in Descent 1: 367: "Blind beetles, which cannot of course behold each other's beauty, never exhibit, as I hear from Mr. Waterhouse, jun., bright colours, though they often have polished coats: but the explanation of their obscurity may be that blind insects inhabit caves and other obscure stations."
[158]
It may be worth adding that "Blind beetles, of which several genera are known, never exhibit, as I hear from Mr Waterhouse jun., bright colours, though their surface is often polished." (Yes)
[in margin:] London
Thorax black in the testaceous male & red in the red female
Leptura rubra of Linn to see whether red brilliant no L. testacea in the male
Dynastes Pan ♀ with horn on head & thoracic horn nothing, but far from equal to ♂
Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
File last updated 25 September, 2022