Ɛpsilon

From F. T. Buckland   4 October [1866]1

37. Albany St. | Regent’s Park. | N. W.

Oct 4.

Dear Mr Darwin,

Thanks for patronizing my efforts. I will not rest till I have obtained what you want to know in Re Otter dogs2

See “Land & Water” Saturday3   Pray make use of me—in any way

I am so very sorry to hear that you are still unwell   I trust you will soon be better.

I cant help smiling at the fightings & disputes between your disciples & your non disciples at the British Association.4

Did you ever see a pack of hounds fighting for a bone, when the huntsman’s back is turned. Just so our friends attack & defend your theories thrown down into the middle of them.

Please throw us down another bone to fight about, the old bone is nearly picked clean now—

Yours ever | Frank Buckland

1
The year is established by the reference to CD’s query in Land and Water about otter-hounds (see n. 3, below).
3
CD’s query on otter-hounds appeared in the 6 October 1866 issue of Land and Water, p. 244 (see letter to Land and Water, [2 October 1866]).
4
Buckland is referring to the recent meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science held in Nottingham from 22 to 30 August 1866 (Athenæum, 11 August 1866, p. 161). In his presidential address, William Robert Grove had mentioned CD’s works among others in natural history that were supportive of transmutation of species rather than successive creations (W. R. Grove 1866). Buckland attended the meeting and presented papers (see Report of the thirty-sixth meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science held at Nottingham, pp. 70–1). For more on the reception of Grove’s address, see the letter from Charles Pritchard, 8 October 1866 and nn. 3 and 4.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-5229,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-5229