Darwin's beetles

The University of Cambridge Zoological Museum has a rather wonderful box of beetle specimens collected by Charles Darwin when he was at the university. The young Darwin had an inordinate fondness for beetles.

Charles Darwin's beetles collection
Darwin's beetle collection.

Darwin's son, Sir Frances Darwin, donated his father's beetles to the university. The collection was originally in a cabinet. Unfortunately, in the 1870's, one G. R. Crotch began sorting some or all of the collection into boxes, all but one of which was later lost/misplaced.

Richard Carter, FCD

Writer and photographer Richard Carter, FCD is the founder of the Friends of Charles Darwin. He lives in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire.WebsiteNewsletterMastodonetc…

One comment

  1. Charles Darwin Quote
    One day, on tearing off some old bark, I saw two rare beetles, and seized one in each hand. Then I saw a third and new kind, which I could not bear to lose, so I popped the one which I held in my right hand into my mouth. Alas! it ejected some intensely acrid fluid, which burnt my tongue so that I was forced to spit the beetle out, which was lost, as was the third one.
    - Charles Darwin
    The life and letters of Charles Darwin...ed. by his son, Francis Darwin. 2 v (ed. 1898)
    He put a Bombardier Beetle in his mouth. And this is the guy who you base a show on called "The Genius of Charles Darwin"? LMAO

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