Ɛpsilon

To G. J. Romanes   9 March [1881]1

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

March 9th

My dear Romanes

One line to thank you for your letter, which I shd. have been very sorry if it had been shortened by a single line.—2

Your remarks on consciousness & self-consciousness seem to me very good.—3 I do not at all know what I shall make of the subject, & shd. not be in the least surprised if I come to the conclusion that I have worked for several weeks quite uselessly.— Some months ago I tried to make out about experience, & the result indicated that worms do learn, but from causes too long here to explain I dare not trust my observations.— I intend to have another attempt to eliminate the source of doubt, but Heaven only knows whether I shall succeed.—

It was very good of you to write so fully & so clearly.—

Ever yours sincerely | Ch. Darwin

1
The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from G. J. Romanes, 7 March 1881.
3
Romanes had advised CD to distinguish carefully between conscious and self-conscious behaviour when defining intelligence, in order to pre-empt criticism (see letter from G. J. Romanes, 7 March 1881 and n. 3).

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

2.3 worked] altered from ‘work’; after del ‘thrown the’
2.3 for] above del ‘of’
2.4 months] above del ‘moths’
2.6 attempt] after del ‘trial’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-13082,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-13082