Ɛpsilon

To W. E. Darwin   10 September [1880]1

[Down.]

My dear W.

Do not trouble yourself about Beaulieu Abbey; for I have found your packet of washed castings & under a high power the bits of brick do not appear rounded.— If I hereafter find that there are generally little stones in the gizzards of worms, then I shd. be very glad to examine some castings from Beaulieu, but not otherwise. So do nothing unless you hear from me again.2

yours affect. | C. Darwin

Sept 10th.— | W.E. Darwin Esq

1
The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter to W. E. Darwin, 18 June 1880.
2
In his letter of 18 June 1880, CD had asked William to visit Beaulieu Abbey in Hampshire to collect a packet of worm-castings so that CD could investigate whether fragments of brick in the castings were rounded by the action of the worm’s gizzard. For CD’s report on the fragments in castings collected from the nave at Beaulieu, see Earthworms, pp. 254–5.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.2 under] after del ‘with’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-12710,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-12710