Ɛpsilon

To William Forsell Kirby   12 December [1862]

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

December 12th

Dear Sir

I am very much obliged for your extremely kind present of your Manual of European Butterflies.—1 From all that I have heard I can well believe that it must have been a difficult task. It pleases me much to hear that you are not a believer in the immutability of species,—a doctrine perfectly adapted to stop philosophical research.—2 I trust that you some day will write on variation in Butterflies, & express your beliefs on the subject of species.— I do not know whether you are any relation of that great man, Kirby the author of that admirable work on Entomology;3 but if you are you have in truth good right to success; & if you are not, your name ought to be an omen of success.—

With my best wishes & thanks | Pray believe me | Dear Sir | Yours faithfully | Ch. Darwin

I have just observed that your note is dated Nov. 7th but was received only this day.—

Postmark: DE 13 62

1
Kirby 1862 was Kirby’s first work of importance, and brought him into public notice (Entomologist’s Record and Journal of Variation 24 (1912): 315).
2
The letter from Kirby has not been found; however, he was reportedly ‘an early disciple of Darwin’ (Entomologist’s Record and Journal of Variation 24 (1912): 315).
3
CD refers to the Suffolk clergyman, William Kirby, who was co-author with William Spence of Introduction to entomology (Kirby and Spence 1815–26); there is a copy of Kirby and Spence 1815–26 in the Darwin Library–CUL. W. F. Kirby was the son of a Leicester banker, and was apparently not a relation of the older entomologist (Entomologist’s Record and Journal of Variation 24 (1912): 315).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-3854,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-3854