Ɛpsilon

To W. H. Flower   9 December 1878

Down, Beckenham, Kent.

Dec 9. 1878

My dear Flower

I am extremely obliged to you & Dr Garson for all the great trouble which you have taken, & I fear in vain; for I cannot doubt that your view is the true one.1 When the goslings appeared with deformed wings, the farmer probably remembered the accident to the gander, & attributed the deformity to this cause. I will write to Mr Blair to thank him, & will enclose the report, & perhaps the first part of your letter—2

I enclose some photographs with a letter received the other day: I hardly suppose you will care about them & you may burn them instead of I. (or me E.D)3 The photographer was very foolish to allow the man to place his arm across his chest.

We both enjoyed extremely meeting the Dean at your house.4

With many thanks for all your trouble yours sincerely | Ch. Darwin

LS

1
John George Garson was an assistant at the Hunterian Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons (Cornish 1904, p. 57); he had written the report on the goose wings sent by Reuben Almond Blair (see letter from W. H. Flower, 6 [December] 1878).
3
The letter and photographs have not been identified. Emma Darwin, as amanuensis, added, ‘(or me E.D)’.
4
CD had met Arthur Penrhyn Stanley, the dean of Westminster, at Flower’s London home on 26 November 1878 (Cornish 1904, p. 87).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-11782,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-11782