Ɛpsilon

To E. J. Pfeiffer   26 April [1871]1

Down. | Beckenham | Kent. S.E.

April 26

Madam

I am much obliged for your kindness in writing to me.2 I think it wd. have been an advantage if I had used the word fascination, but I intended to express some such idea when I join to charm admire &c, the word excite.—3

I fear that it wd. be very rash to use the illustration of the snake, as very few naturalists believe in snakes having any such power; though I myself am inclined to be a believer.4

Madam | Your obliged servant | Ch. Darwin

1
The year is established by the address, with ‘Bromley’ crossed out and ‘Beckenham’ added by hand, a form that CD used from April 1869 to May 1871, and by the reference to Descent (see n. 3, below), which was published in 1871.
3
CD refers to Descent 2: 124, where he states that male birds ‘best able by their various charms to please or excite the female, are under ordinary circumstances accepted’.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

0.2 Beckenham] before del ‘Bromley.’
1.3 join] after del ‘use’
1.3 admire &c,] interl
2.2 a believer] ‘a’ interl

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-7719F,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-7719F