To William Forsell Kirby 12 December [1862]
Down. | Bromley. | Kent. S.E.
December 12th
Dear Sir
I am very much obliged for your extremely kind present of your Manual of European Butterflies.—1 From all that I have heard I can well believe that it must have been a difficult task. It pleases me much to hear that you are not a believer in the immutability of species,—a doctrine perfectly adapted to stop philosophical research.—2 I trust that you some day will write on variation in Butterflies, & express your beliefs on the subject of species.— I do not know whether you are any relation of that great man, Kirby the author of that admirable work on Entomology;3 but if you are you have in truth good right to success; & if you are not, your name ought to be an omen of success.—
With my best wishes & thanks | Pray believe me | Dear Sir | Yours faithfully | Ch. Darwin
I have just observed that your note is dated Nov. 7th but was received only this day.—
Footnotes
Bibliography
Kirby, William Forsell. 1862. A manual of European butterflies, on the plan of Stainton’s Manual of British butterflies and moths. London and Edinburgh.
Summary
CD sends thanks for Manual of European butterflies [1862].
Is pleased that WFK does not believe in immutability of species, "a doctrine perfectly adapted to stop philosophical research", and hopes he will publish further.
Notes WFK’s name is the same as the entomologist’s.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-3854
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- William Forsell Kirby
- Sent from
- Down
- Postmark
- DE 13 62
- Source of text
- American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.)
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 3854,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-3854.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 10