To George Cupples   3 November [1870]1

Down. | Beckenham | Kent. S.E.

Nov. 3d

My dear Mr Cupples

A servant shall be at King’s Cross on Tuesday 8th. at 9 a.m. ready to receive the precious animal.2 He shall then take him to some inn & give him water & let him loose for a short time in a stable, & then bring him here at once. So please direct C. Darwin “to be called for”.— We are all infinitely obliged for this valuable present & for your most clear instructions which we will endeavour to keep to the letter.

You have been most kind to take so much trouble in giving us such full particulars.

With many thanks | Yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin

Is the Hamper worth returning? or will you not let me pay for it?

Thanks about the Perch: I cannot but suspect some error; though Serranus is an ally of the Perch & has often been said on good authority to be an Hermaphrodite, but Dr Günther does not believe even in this case, except as an abnormality—3

Postmark: Beckenham NO 3 70

1
The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from George Cupples, 8 October 1870.
2
Cupples was sending a Scottish deer-hound puppy; see letter from George Cupples, 8 October 1870. Cupples’s letter announcing the date and time of the puppy’s arrival in London has not been found.
3
Cupples’s letter about perch has not been found. CD mentioned Albert Günther’s view of Serranus in Descent 1: 208 n. 25. The Percidae (perch) and the Serranidae (of which Serranus is a member) are both families in the order Perciformes.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

0.1 Beckenham] interl before del ‘Bromley.’
1.4 C. Darwin] interl

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-7355,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-7355