To Henry Denny   20 January [1844]

Down near Bromley | Kent

Jan. 20th.—

Dear Sir

It would give me great pleasure to assist you in your valuable scientific labours.—1

I cannot remember whether I collected many lice; I think I did some; but part of my collection was lost & from ill-health & my extreme wish to finish one part of my materials (viz Geology) has prevented me for a long time going through my zoological collection.— I intend, however, doing this soon; & you may rely on it, that I will put on one side, everything I find, which is in your department, & will then communicate with you.—2 I fear the result will be small, if any.—

Everything I collected was properly ticketed & if you ask Mr. Waterhouse,3 I think he can tell you (if the specimens came from me) at least what country, & I shd think the specimens wd have had a separate number, which wd tell the bird, by reference to me.—

With my best wishes for your success.— Believe me | Yours very faithfully | C. Darwin

1
Denny had been approached by a British Association for the Advancement of Science committee, consisting of William Jardine, William Yarrell, and Edwin Lankester, to help in preparing a report on the exotic species of Anoplura. Denny later recorded that he wrote to several naturalists for assistance and specimens. His illustrations were exhibited at the British Association meeting in York in September 1844 (Report of the 14th meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science held at York in 1844, p. 392).
2
CD sorted his collections in July 1844 and provided Denny with specimens. See ‘Journal’ (Correspondence vol. 3, Appendix II) and letter to Henry Denny, 12 August [1844].
3
George Robert Waterhouse, who described part of CD’s entomological collection from the Beagle voyage.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

2.6 then] ‘n’ over illeg
3.2 if the] ‘the’ altered from ‘they’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-731,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-731