Ɛpsilon

To ?   19 May [1871]1

Down, | Beckenham, Kent.

May 19th

Dear Sir

You have been wonderfully kind to have taken so much trouble for me, & as it has proved almost in vain, though by no means quite so, for there is nothing I hate so much as quoting what can hardly be trusted; yet this has often been my fate.— I felt particular interest in the case, because it was apparently an instance of a new gesture or expression arising in an animal & inherited, & I know of no other, though I have such cases with mankind.

Many thanks for the reference about Dogs, which I will keep, but I fear that my small strength will never allow me to grapple with the subject again. I daresay this rather old book may be origin of statement about the scent of the Bull-dog.—2

I most heartily subscribe to what you say about the qualities of Dogs: I have one whom I love with all my heart.

With very many thanks for you great kindness | In Haste | yours very faithfully | Ch. Darwin

1
The year is established by the printed letterhead, with the address on the right; this is a form that CD used between May 1871 and January 1872.
2
The book has not been identified. The bulldog was known for being deficient in sense of smell (see Variation 2: 95).

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.4 in the case,] interl
1.5 & I know … other,] interl
2.1 the reference] ‘the’ interl
2.3 rather] interl
4.1 In Haste] added ink

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-13889,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-13889