Ɛpsilon

To Albert Günther   13 January [1870]

Down. | Beckenham | Kent. S.E.

Jan 13th

My dear Dr. Günther

I am very much obliged to you. The sight of the proofs has pleased me more than anything which has happened to me for some weeks.1 Pray tell Mr Ford2 (or show him this note) that I am delighted with their appearance. I hope you are pleased with them, for they all illustrate facts which I give wholly on your authority. I declare I think the sexual differences in the Chæmelions look more wonderful in the figures than in the real specimens.3 They will make my chapter capital. Pray tell Mr Ford that I am excessively pleased, also, with the feathers, which look far better than I thought possible.4 I long to see those of the Argus Pheasant & Peacock—5 There ought to be a drawing of the head of female salmon.—6

Accept my cordial thanks for all your extraordinary kindness

Yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin

The Callionymus also is beautiful.— I lately saw some one who said he did not believe fishes ever differed much sexually!7

Endorsement: ‘1870’

1
CD refers to the proofs of the woodcuts for Descent.
3
See Descent 2: 35, fig. 35, and 36, fig. 36.
4
See figures in Descent 2: 63–6.
5
See Descent 2: 137, fig. 53; 143, fig. 56; 144, fig. 57; 146, fig. 58; 149, fig. 59.
6
See Descent 2: 5, fig. 27.
7
The woodcuts of Callionymus lyra (the dragonet) show a male and a female fish.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

0.1 Beckenham] before del ‘Bromley’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-7077,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-7077