Ɛpsilon

To Richard Fordman   4 December [1873]

Down, | Beckenham, Kent.

Dec. 4th

My dear Sir

I thank you for your extremely kind note, which has pleased me much.—1

I am utterly perplexed what to think about the printed statement (like those published by Col. Sleeman in reference to the same district) in regard to children brought up by wolves.—2 I cannot quite disbelieve the accounts, & yet I can by no means believe them.—

With my thanks, I remain, | Yours very faithfully | Ch. Darwin

Postmark: DE 4 73

1
Fordman’s letter has not been found.
2
William Henry Sleeman’s account of wolves nurturing children in their dens ([Sleeman] 1852) was reprinted in the Zoologist 3d ser. 12 (1888): 87–98. Sleeman had summarised several reports of children found in wolf dens in the Sultanpur district in northern India.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-9170,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-9170