Ɛpsilon

To B. J. Sulivan   15 January [1867]1

Down Bromley | Kent.

Jan 15

My dear Sulivan

I am extremely much obliged to you for getting me Mr Sterling’s answers. They are of much interest to me. I had quite forgotten that I had previously sent nearly the same questions:2 the answer about the breeding of the dogs comes in very useful just now that I am writing upon domestic animals.3 Many thanks also about the white cattle.4

I am very glad you were so kind as to call on my son William; he does not have many holidays, but if he cd spare the time I am sure he wd enjoy seeing you at Bournemouth.5

My dear Sulivan, | yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin

LS

1
The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from B. J. Sulivan, 11 January 1867.
2
In his letter of 11 January 1867, Sulivan enclosed responses from Thomas Bridges regarding the mannerisms and facial expressions of Fuegians, conveyed by Waite Hockin Stirling; these responses are published in Correspondence vol. 8, letter from Thomas Bridges, [October 1860 or after]. CD cited information from Bridges at least four times in Expression, and in Descent 2: 351 n. For the queries that CD had forgotten he had sent, see Correspondence vol. 8, letter to Thomas Bridges, 6 January 1860; see also, this volume, letter from B. J. Sulivan, 11 January 1867 and nn. 2 and 3. The latest list of queries that CD sent to Sulivan has not been found.
3
The section on breeding dogs is in a missing section of Bridges’s reply (see Correspondence vol. 8, letter from Thomas Bridges, [October 1860 or after]); however, see Variation 2: 207 for the information that Bridges sent. In his letter, Bridges also wrote that, to make their dogs lighter, the Fuegians cut off their tails while they were puppies; CD mentioned the remark in Variation 1: 39.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-5365,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-5365