Ɛpsilon

To J. N. Lockyer   4 and 6 March [1879]1

6. Queen Anne St | Conduit Sqr

March. 4th

My dear Sir

The enclosed letter eminently deserves to be published in Nature.2 It ought to be divided into 4 paragraphs, as marked by me.—

The first relates to a curious, but not quite new case: You must decide whether the Photograph of the Frog with the mass of tadpoles on its back can be given as a wood block.—3

The sketch relating to the 3d paragraph certainly ought to be engraved. I have written a few words of introduction to the letter, which you can print if you think fit or burn if too long.—4

I am puzzled about reading & spelling the families of certain insects mentioned. If you were to send a proof Mr McLachlan at Lewisham, he wd at once be able to correct the spelling.—5

I am not well & I know not in the least when I shall return home. Therefore if you can get proof corrected without my aid, I shd. be glad.— Perhaps here & there a few words will require being Englefied.6

My dear Sir | Yours sincerely | Ch. Darwin

Will you kindly send me a duplicate copy of Nature that I may forward to F. Müller— So you see I boldly assume that you will publish letter.—

March 6th

I have returned home.— Pray excuse me for not rewriting this note.

I think the best plan will be to send me proof with original letter after the woodcut, or the wood-cuts have been made, & I will forward proof & original letter to Mr McLachlan.7 This will save you trouble.— C. D

1
The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from Fritz Müller, 21 January 1879.
3
The letter as published in Nature had a woodblock of the dorsal view of the egg-brooding frog; the original photograph has not been found (see letter from Fritz Müller, 21 January 1879 and nn. 1 and 2).
4
See letter from Fritz Müller, 21 January 1879. The sketch showed an adaptation of the tarsus of a species of bromeliad-dwelling caddisfly (family Leptoceridae), compared with the same feature in another species that inhabited rivulets. For CD’s introductory comments, see the letter to Nature, [before 20 March 1879].
5
Robert McLachlan had written a monograph on British caddisflies (McLachlan 1865).
6
‘Englified’: anglicised (CD’s own word). CD was in London from 27 February to 5 March (CD’s ‘Journal’ (Appendix II)).

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

0.1 6 … Sqe] above del ‘Down, | Beckenham, Kent. | Railway Station | Orpington. S.E.R.’
2.1 case:] colon above del full stop
2.2 of the Frog] interl
2.2 on its back] interl
3.3 if too long.] interl
5.1 &] after del caret
5.3 Englefied] ‘E’ over ‘A’
9.2 the] interl

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-11915A,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-11915A