Letter from Charles Robert Darwin to W. D. Fox1 12 [June 1828]
Friday 12th—2
My dear Fox
I am dying by inches, from not having any body to talk to about insects:—my only reason for writing, is to remove a heavy weight from my mind, so now you must understand, what you will perceive before you come to the end of this; that I am writing merely for my own pleasure & not your’s.— I have been very idle since I left Cambridge in every possible way & amongst the rest in Entomology. I have however captured a few insects, about which I am much interested: My sister has made rough drawings of three of them: I. fig: is I am nearly sure, the same insect as H⟨oa⟩r,3 of Queens took in a Willow tree, & which Garland4 did not know. I took [it] under the bark of a rail, was very active, striking looking insect, took 3 specimens I think this is an admirable prize
II. fig: is an extremely common insect; of the family of scarabidæ. Do you know it’s name?—
III. fig: A most beautiful Leptura (?) very like the Quadrifasciata, only the body is of the same size thoughout.— I tell you all these particulars, as I am anxious to know something about these little g⟨ ⟩s.— I was not fully aware of your extreme value before I left Cambridge. I am constantly saying “I do wish Fox was here”.— And I again say, I hope you will come & pay me visit before the summer is over— My Father desired me to say, that he should be at anytime most happy to see you.—
I have taken 3 species of Coccinellæ, one, the same as Hoar took in the Fens, which you said was rare, & another with 7 white! marks on each elytron.— I will mention, as I believe you are interested about it, that I have seen the Cocc: bipunctata (or dispar) 4 or 5 in actu coitus with a black one with 4 red marks (I believe most of the black ones you have got have ⟨ ⟩ marks, & hence I suppose a different species) also, which is very singular, I have frequently seen two of the bipunctata’s in actu.— I Have taken Clivina Collaris, fig ⟨3⟩ Plate III of Stephens;5 also a beautiful copper-coloured Elater (with Antennæ pectin⟨ate⟩ like this. Do you want any of the Byrrhus Pillula? I can get any number.—
My dear Fox I must again beg your pardon for sending such a very selfish stupid letter: but remember I am your pupil, so you must forgive me.— I hope you will write to me soon, & tell me every thing you have been doing, & more particularly how you are in health, as to your eyes, & body.— How was poor little Fan: how was No 16!? what do you intend doing this summer? in short write me a good long letter about yourself & all other insects: My plans remain the same as formerly. I am going to Barmouth6 for two months.— If you have not written to my brother, write to him before the 22d. & direct, Poste Restante, Munich I hope you will be able to send me a better account of Miss Fox, when you write; tell me whether you intend going to Tenby?
I should not send this very shamefully stupid letter, only I am very anxious to get some crumbs of information about yourself & the insects.
Believe me my dear Fox | Yours most sincerely | Charles Darwin
Shrewsbury
| of a fine bluish black colour, but is not so broad as made in this drawing | rather lighter coloured & more metallic the legs are left out.— | this is a very good representation |
 |  |  |
I. fig is more like a Pyrochroa or a very narrow Blaps than any thing I can compare it to.—
I.I. fig: be sure to give me the name of this insect
Manuscript alterations and comments
0.1 Friday] below del ‘Thursday’
1.6 interested: ] comma under colon omitted
1.9 I took] ‘I’ over ‘it’
1.10 I … prize] added; ‘prize’ after blotted ‘prize’
3.2 tell] above del ‘ask’
3.2 particulars] after del ‘questions’
3.3 know] inserted before del ‘hear.’
3.3 something] final ‘s’ del
3.6 over] over ‘out’
3.6 My] over ‘I’
4.2 marks] above del ‘spots’
4.3 it,] two points above comma omitted
4.7 seen] before del ‘the’
4.10 can] interl
5.2 letter: ] comma below colon omitted
5.9 Miss] over illeg
7.2 Shrewsbury] ‘bu’ blotted
point omitted after: 1.3 ‘what’; 1.7 ‘sister’; 1.8 ‘as’; 3.4 ‘constantly’; 3.5 ‘pay’; 4.9 ‘Antennæ’; 5.3 ‘thing’; 5.5 ‘how was’; 5.5 ‘summer’; 5.6 ‘letter’; 5.7 ‘same’; 5.8 ‘Poste’; 5.10 ‘tell me’; 6.2 ‘some’; 8.1 ‘Blaps’; 8.2 ‘it’
Notes
1
CD’s second cousin and his ‘entomological tutor’ during CD’s first year at Cambridge. Fox’s mother, Ann, was the daughter of Dr Erasmus Darwin’s brother, William Alvey Darwin.
2
Friday was the 13th.
3
The middle letters of the name are obliterated by a blot. It is likely that CD wrote ‘Hoar’ (see below in letter), but he probably refers to William Strong Hore, who was an undergraduate at Queens’ College 1826–30. Letters to W. D. Fox, [7 January 1829] and [25–9 January 1829] give support to this possibility. In both, CD asks to be remembered to ‘Hore’.
4
Possibly Lewes (or Lewis) Garland.
5
Stephens 1827–46. Clivina collaris is listed in Mandibulata 1: 40, plate iii, fig. 3.
6
On Cardigan Bay, Gwynedd, North Wales. CD spent the summer on a reading tour with some undergraduate friends and George Ash Butterton, of St John’s College, a private tutor in mathematics (see LL 1: 166, which quotes a letter of reminiscences from John Maurice Herbert to Francis Darwin, now in DAR 112).