RECORD: Darwin, C. R. n.d. Birds / Mr Sharpe. CUL-DAR84.1.175. 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 cited this in Descent 2: 188, n2: "In some species of Dacelo the males have blue tails, and the females brown ones; and Mr. R. B. Sharpe informs me that the tail of the young male of D. Gaudichaudi is at first brown."
See Richard Bowdler Sharpe's letter to Darwin here: CUL-DAR84.1.98-99
[175]
Birds
Mr Sharpe tells me that the ♀ of Dacelo Gaudichaudi which differs only from ♂ "in colour not quite & tail being reddish-brown --- that in young ♂ the tail resembles the adult female for he has seen stage in process of change.
Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
File last updated 25 September, 2022