Life and Letters of Charles Darwin — Volume 1Darwin, Charles
History
Life and Letters of Charles Darwin — Volume 1
Darwin, Charles
Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882; Naturalists -- Great Britain -- Biography; Naturalists -- Great Britain -- Correspondence
But now for business. SEVERAL more specimens, if you can procure them
without much trouble, of the following insects:--The violet-black
coloured beetle, found on Craig Storm (The top of the hill immediately
behind Barmouth was called Craig-Storm, a hybrid Cambro-English word.),
under stones, also a large smooth black one very like it; a bluish
metallic-coloured dung-beetle, which is VERY common on the hill-sides;
also, if you WOULD be so very kind as to cross the ferry, and you
will find a great number under the stones on the waste land of a long,
smooth, jet-black beetle (a great many of these); also, in the same
situation, a very small pinkish insect, with black spots, with a curved
thorax projecting beyond the head; also, upon the marshy land over the
ferry, near the sea, under old sea-weed, stones, etc., you will find a
small yellowish transparent beetle, with two or four blackish marks on
the back. Under these stones there are two sorts, one much darker than
the other; the lighter-coloured is that which I want. These last two
insects are EXCESSIVELY RARE, and you will really EXTREMELY oblige me by
taking all this trouble pretty soon; remember me most kindly to Butler,
tell him of my success, and I dare say both of you will easily recognise
these insects. I hope his caterpillars go on well. I think many of the
Chrysalises are well worth keeping. I really am quite ashamed [of] so
long a letter all about my own concerns; but do return good for evil,
and send me a long account of all your proceedings.
In the first week I killed seventy-five head of game--a very
contemptible number--but there are very few birds. I killed, however, a
brace of black game. Since then I have been staying at the Fox's, near
Derby; it is a very pleasant house, and the music meeting went off very
well. I want to hear how Yates likes his gun, and what use he has made
of it.
If the bottle is not large you can buy another for me, and when you pass
through Shrewsbury you can leave these treasures, and I hope, if you
possibly can, you will stay a day or two with me, as I hope I need
not say how glad I shall be to see you again. Fox remarked what deuced
good-natured fellows your friends at Barmouth must be; and if I did not
know how you and Butler were so, I would not think of giving you so much
trouble.
Believe me, my dear Herbert, Yours, most sincerely, CHARLES DARWIN.
Remember me to all friends.
[In the following January we find him looking forward with pleasure to
the beginning of another year of his Cambridge life: he writes to Fox--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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