Ɛpsilon

To Albert Günther   28 September [1871]1

Down, | Beckenham, Kent.

Sept 28th

My dear Dr. Günther

I am going to beg a very great favour of you.— I know how wide is your knowledge, & I do not know to whom else to apply.— Will you answer, as far as lies in your power, the 4 enclosed & very miscellaneous queries.—2 I enclose an envelope all ready addressed to save you as much trouble as possible.— When last in London, I called at B. Mus., but found that you had just started for your summer holidays.—3 I have been very unwell for many weeks, with my head much affected, & I have been able to do very little work,— indeed none for 6 weeks.—

Forgive me for trespassing on your great kindness, & believe me | Yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin

1
The year is established by the form of the address and its location in the upper right-hand corner of the page; CD used this paper between May 1871 and January 1872.
2
The enclosure has not been found, but for Günther’s answers, see the enclosure to the letter from Albert Günther, 1 October 1871.
3
CD probably refers to a visit to Erasmus Alvey Darwin in London in mid-July; see letter from G. H. Darwin, [17 July 1871], n. 1. Günther worked on the British Museum’s specimens of amphibians, reptiles, and fish (ODNB).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-7974,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-7974