To H. W. Bates 9 May [1862]1
Down. | Bromley. | Kent. S.E.
May 9th
Dear Bates
I have been talking in London with Sir C. Lyell & he told me facts showing that there almost certainly must have been a Glacial Miocene period!2 In N. Italy he has seen huge boulders embedded with Miocene shells!—3
I saw at B. Museum the admirable mimetic case of Philippine Longicorn & Curculia— Really wonderful.— The gentlemen at the Museum sucked in your doctrine in explanation as easily as mother’s milk.4 I saw, also, there Mr Baily(?) & he showed me the generative organs of closely allied Chrysomelæ— on my word it is a very curious & unpleasant case, for he vows that these parts never vary.—5 Dr. Günther, I find, is the candidate for place in B. Museum, & I apprehend no one would have a chance against him.—6 I hear also with much surprise that a candidate would have to pass a civil-service examination.—7
Good Night | I am tired— | Yours sincerely | C. Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Bates, Henry Walter. 1862. Contributions to an insect fauna of the Amazon valley. Coleoptera: Longicornes. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 3d ser. 9: 117–24, 396–405, 446–58.
Collected papers: The collected papers of Charles Darwin. Edited by Paul H. Barrett. 2 vols. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press. 1977.
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
EB: The Encyclopædia Britannica. A dictionary of arts, sciences, literature and general information. 11th edition. 29 vols. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1910–11.
Summary
Referring to conversation with Lyell, CD is certain that there was a Miocene glacial period.
Compliments HWB on the mimetic display at the British Museum. Those at the Museum readily accepted HWB’s "doctrine".
Was shown genital organs of closely allied Chrysomelidae.
Albert Günther is candidate for position at Museum.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-3540
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Henry Walter Bates
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- Cleveland Health Sciences Library (Robert M. Stecher collection)
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 3540,” accessed on 26 September 2022, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-3540.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 10