Ɛpsilon

To Abraham Dee Bartlett   5 January [1870]1

Down. | Beckenham | Kent. S.E.

Jan 5th

My dear Sir

Many thanks about Limulus.2 I am going to ask another favour, but I do not want to trouble you to answer it by letter.

When the Callithrix sciureus screams violently does it wrinkle up the skin round the eyes like a Baby always does? When thus screaming do the eyes become suffused with moisture? Will you ask Sutton to observe carefully.— Could you make it scream without hurting it much?3

I shd. be truly obliged some time for this information, when in Spring I come to Gardens,—or Sutton cd. write to me.—4

Your’s very faithfully | Ch. Darwin

1
The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter to Anton Dohrn, 4 January 1870.
2
See letter to Anton Dohrn, 4 January 1870. Bartlett’s letter to CD has not been found.
3
Callithrix sciureus, the squirrel monkey, is now Saimiri sciureus. CD discussed the secretion of tears by screaming monkeys in Expression, pp. 166–7, but did not mention Callithrix. CD also refers to Seth Sutton.
4
CD stayed in London from 5 to 10 March 1870 (CD’s ‘Journal’ (Appendix II)). No letter from Bartlett or Sutton on the subject has been found.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

0.1 Beckenham] before del ‘Bromley.’
2.1 the skin round the 2.2] above del ‘its’
3.2 or] over ‘C’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-7072,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-7072