My dear Lyell

I have received your letter of the 24^th. ¹ It is no use trying to thank you; your kindness is beyond thanks. I will certainly leave out Whale & Bear.—²

With respect to Pheasants crossing, I have inserted a sentence: in my fuller M.S. I have the case worked out at length. The Japan & English pheasant are utterly dissimilar, & the other two must be considered as close but distinct species. There is no doubt about their blending; but whether the exact half-bred birds would be quite fertile int se I could not make out. In whole districts our English pheasant P. Colchicus has, I think certainly been modified by crossing with P. torquatus.³

But as my M.S is at home I fear I can now add nothing, even if I had time. So it must be with mistaken instincts.⁴ I should like to tell you one funny blunder in instinct of Wood ant, which I made out last summer. (No, it is too long story).—⁵

The Edition was 1250 copies. When I was in spirits I sometimes fancied that my book w^d be successful; but I never even built a castle-in-the air of such success as it has met with; I do not mean the sale, but the impression it has made on you (whom I have always looked at as chief judge) & Hooker & Huxley. The whole has infinitely exceeded my wildest hopes.—

Farewell.— I am tired for I have been going over the sheets.— My kind friend farewell | Yours | C. Darwin