Ɛpsilon

To Andrew Murray   10 April [1862]1

Down. | Bromley. | Kent. S.E.

April. 10th

My dear Sir

Pray excuse me for writing to you on a wild-goose chase. About a year ago I received from author a pamphlet “Scudder on blind cave-insects of N. America”.2 I much want it, & resember lending it to some one. I have no reason to suppose that I lent it to you, excepting that you are the most likely man, for caring about the subject.—3 Will reflect for a moment & if by any extraordinary piece of good fortune, you have it return it to me.—

If I do not hear, I will understand that I did not lend it to you.—

Pray excuse me & believe me   yours very sincerely | C. Darwin

1
The year is established by the relationship to the letter from Andrew Murray, 12 April 1862.
2
Scudder 1861. There is an annotated copy of this article in the Darwin Pamphlet Collection–CUL.
3
CD and Murray had corresponded at length about whether CD’s theory of natural selection could adequately account for the existence of blind cave insects (see Correspondence vol. 8).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-3503,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-3503