Ɛpsilon

To ?   29 March 1882

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

March 29th 1882

Dear Sir

I cannot answer your questions; nor do I suppose that anyone could do so.— Earth worms are hermaphrodite, but two must unite & both produce eggs.—1

I have seen hundreds coupled, early in the morning & occasionally through the night.— I believe in the spring, but cannot positively remember.

I remain | yours faithfully | Ch. Darwin

1
The letter to which this is a reply has not been found. CD had not discussed reproduction in Earthworms. For more on earthworms’ reproductive organs, see Lankester 1864–5.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

0.1 (Railway … S.E.R.)] parentheses added

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-13748A,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-13748A