Ɛpsilon

To George Robert Gray   [4 December 1838]1

36 Great Marlborough Street

Tuesday

[Sends a few pages of proofs2 on which he asks Gray to make any observations that might occur to him (“… I am ashamed of my work, but I cannot do it better …”) and particularly requesting him to check passages in French (“… if you would compare the French sentence at p. 20 with M. D’Orbigny’s work …”)3 and Latin (“… I find I have quite forgotten the little I ever knew …”). CD also says that he is sending the manuscript of the ‘Natatores’ which Gray had said he would look at.]

Believe me | Yours truly | Chas. Darwin4

1
For the basis for the date of this letter, see letter to G. R. Gray, [6 December 1838], n. 1.
2
Birds No. 2, which was published in January 1839. Gray completed Birds following John Gould’s departure for Australia.
3
Orbigny 1835–47, vol. 4 pt 3 (Oiseaux), p. 52.
4
The valediction is reproduced in facsimile in the catalogue.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-451,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-451