Ɛpsilon

To Albert Günther   15 July [1870]1

Down. | Beckenham | Kent. S.E.

July 15th

My dear Dr. Günther

I do not know which species of Triton, Mr Ford has drawn for me.—2 I describe briefly in my M.S. T. punctatus. Will you kindly write name on proofs & slip them in enclosed envelope, without troubling yourself to write a word.— My Chapt. on Fishes & Reptiles, wd have been much the worst in my volume, had it not been for your kind & most valuable assistance; & now I think it will be one of the best, & certainly the best illustrated.—3

Your’s very sincerely | Ch. Darwin

1
The year is established by the reference to a proof-sheet of an illustration for Descent, which was published in February 1871 (see below, n. 2).
2
CD evidently refers to the illustration by George Henry Ford of Triton cristatus; it appeared in Descent 2: 24 fig. 31. Ford was making illustrations for Descent under Günther’s supervision (see Correspondence vol. 17, letter to Albert Günther, 21 September 1869).
3
CD refers to Descent 2: 1–37. See Correspondence vols. 15–17.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

0.1 Beckenham] before del ‘Bromley.’
1.2 briefly in my M.S.] interl
1.2 them] interl
1.5 will be] interl

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-7276,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-7276