Ɛpsilon

To G. J. Romanes   14 October [1881]1

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

Oct 14th

My dear Romanes

I have just read the splendid review of the Worm book in Nature.2 I have been much pleased by it; but at the same time you so overestimate the value of what I do, that you make me feel ashamed of myself & wish to be worthy of such praise. I cannot think how you can endure to spend so much time over another’s work, when you have yourself so much in hand. I feel so worn out that I do not suppose I shall ever again give Reviewers trouble.

I hope that your opus magnum is progressing well; & when we meet later in the Autumn, I shall be anxious to hear about it.3

In a few days time we are going to visit Horace in Cambridge for a week, to see if that will refresh me.4

Pray give my kind remembrances to Mrs. Romanes5 & I hope you are all well | Yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin

1
The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from G. J. Romanes, 16 October 1881.
2
Romanes’s review of Earthworms appeared in Nature, 13 October 1881 (G. J. Romanes 1881b).
3
Romanes was working on two books dealing with cognitive powers in animals. The first, Animal intelligence (G. J. Romanes 1882), was published in 1882. The second, Mental evolution in animals (G. J. Romanes 1883a), was published in 1883.
4
The Darwins visited Cambridge, staying at the home of their son Horace Darwin from 20 to 27 October 1881 (CD’s ‘Journal’ (Appendix II)).

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

0.1 (Railway … S.E.R.)] parentheses added
1.4 work] after del ‘man’
1.5 that] interl

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-13398,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-13398