My Dear Darwin,

Thanks for your note.¹ I am distressed to learn from it that you have suffered so much during the Summer. Your pluck—to hold out with such indomitable perseverance, with your researches—under such adverse conditions, is truly admirable. Long may it last.

With regard to the value of the pliocene species—identical with a living one—to be of any value the instances must be sound, and unquestionable: and if a sufficient number of good cases is adduced, there is a very wholesome basis for a generalization. With regard to the Badger, I cannot say.² As soon as I get back to London I will send you Suess paper.³ I was not a little surprized to find myself so precisely formulated for so decided a Conclusion.⁴ Had I not thought that Suess must have sent it to you, I should have forwarded it to you. He deals directly with natural selection, under its German designation⁵

Armstrong, gave the best address I ever listened to here:⁶ i.e. limited in the main to a single point upon which he was strong—and touching lightly and modestly on other matters. I send you a copy.⁷ You will have already seen it in the Times⁸—but a detached copy may be convenient, as he took you gently in hand—with high appreciation and much modesty.⁹

I will not touch on the remark in the opening part of your note—except to say that nothing in the course of my life ever gave me so much pain, as the reclamation. It was no spurt of sudden feeling. But.... I will not trust myself to say more on paper, about it.¹⁰

My Dear Darwin | Yours very Sin^ly | H Falconer