University finds Darwin egg for Easter
An egg collected by Charles Darwin during his voyage on HMS Beagle has been rediscovered at Cambridge University after being lost for over 100 years.The chocolate brown egg has Darwin's name written on it and was packed into a small box during his famous voyage from 1831-36.
While over a dozen eggs were brought back from the famous journey it was thought all had been lost.
Upon re-discovery at the Zoology Museum during routine cataloguing, it was found that the egg was heavily cracked as Darwin had packed it into a box which was too small.
So while his findings into evolution may be the most important discovery known to man ... we now know Darwin would have been useless at wrapping Christmas presents.
But it was only when Collections Manager Mathew Lowe was reviewing the cataloguing work that he discovered no one knew about the existence of this specimen.
He said: "To have rediscovered a Beagle specimen in the 200th year of Darwin's birth is special enough, but to have evidence that Darwin himself broke it is a wonderful twist."
After reading the notes, Lowe traced the specimen's origin in the notebook of Professor Alfred Newton, a friend of Darwin's and Professor of Zoology in the latter 19th Century.
Newton had written: "One egg, received through Frank Darwin, having been sent to me by his father who said he got it at Maldonado (Uruguay) and that it belonged to the Common Tinamou of those parts.
"The great man put it into too small a box and hence its unhappy state."
LINKS
Cambridge University
He said: "To have rediscovered a Beagle specimen in the 200th year of Darwin's birth is special enough, but to have evidence that Darwin himself broke it is a wonderful twist."
After reading the notes, Lowe traced the specimen's origin in the notebook of Professor Alfred Newton, a friend of Darwin's and Professor of Zoology in the latter 19th Century.
Newton had written: "One egg, received through Frank Darwin, having been sent to me by his father who said he got it at Maldonado (Uruguay) and that it belonged to the Common Tinamou of those parts.
"The great man put it into too small a box and hence its unhappy state."
LINKS
Cambridge University
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