Ɛpsilon

To W. T. Van Dyck   3 April 1882

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

April 3d. 1882.—

Dear Sir

After much deliberation I have thought it best to send your very interesting paper to the Zoological Soc. in hopes that it will be published in the Journal.—1 This Journal goes to every scientific institution in the world, & the contents are abstracted in all year-books on zoology.— Therefore I have preferred it to “Nature”, though the latter has a wider circulation, but is ephemeral.— I have prefaced your essay by a few general remarks to which I hope that you will not object.—2

Of course I do not know that the Z. Soc., which is much addicted to more systematic work, will publish your essay. If it does I will send you copies of your essay, but these will not be ready for some months.— If not published by the Socy. I will endeavour to get Nature to publish it, I am very anxious that it shd be published & preserved.3

Dear Sir | Yours faithfully | Ch. Darwin

2
Van Dyck’s account was published, with a long introduction by CD defending the principle of sexual selection, in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London (Van Dyck 1882). The changing role of Nature as a forum for publication is discussed in Baldwin 2015.
3
Van Dyck had suggested that the paper be published in Nature in his letter of 27 February 1882.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

0.1 (Railway … S.E.R.)] parentheses added
2.3 months] after del ‘moths’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-13757,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-13757