Ɛpsilon

To B. J. Sulivan   13 March [1871]1

Down. | Beckenham | Kent. S.E.

March 13th

My dear Sulivan

I write a line to thank you for your extremely interesting letter. I had heard vague stories to the same effect about parrots & language; but never before anything definite. I now quite believe the fact, & a very wonderful it is.2 It is, however, only carrying a good deal further the varied barks of a dog.

Again I thank you for all the trouble which you have taken & for your very interesting letter.—

We heard from my daughter today. She was very sorry to have missed you.— She is a good deal of an invalid, & being never strong cannot get over her attack of the measles.—3

I have many letters to write so no more.— My last book half killed me with fatigue.—4

Yours ever very truly | Ch. Darwin

1
The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from B. J. Sulivan, 11 March 1871.
3
See letter from B. J. Sulivan, 11 March 1871 and n. 8. According to Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242), Henrietta Emma Darwin was ill with measles from 4 to 25 January 1871.
4
CD refers to Descent.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

0.1 Beckenham] before del ‘Bromley.’
1.3 now] interl

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-7579,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-7579