Ɛpsilon

To T. M. Reade   20 February [1878]1

Down, | Beckenham, Kent. | Railway Station | Orpington. S.E.R.

Feb. 20th

My dear Sir

I am glad that your paper will be soon published, & will endeavour to see the article in the Geolog Mag.,—which I do not take in.2

I am sorry that I can express no opinion worth anything on your question. At first it appears probable that greater heat might favour the greater development of lower organisms, but when one thinks of the Arctic seas, this seems very doubtful.—3

I remain | Yours faithfully | Ch. Darwin

1
The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from T. M. Reade, 18 February 1878.
2
‘The age of the world as viewed by the geologist and the mathematician’ (Reade 1878) was published in the Geological Magazine; see letter from T. M. Reade, 18 February 1878 and n. 2.
3
In his letter of 18 February 1878, Reade had asked what conditions would explain an extra food supply for forams, corals, and molluscs, which in turn would explain a greater abundance of life in the ocean, leading to increased limestone deposits. Arctic seas are richer in plankton than warmer seas.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-11369,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-11369