From W. H. Flower 27 September 1876
Royal College of Surgeons of England. | Lincoln’s Inn Fields, | (W.C.)
27th. day of Sep 1876.
My dear Mr. Darwin
I am very glad to find that more of the South American extinct animals are being brought to light— It is an excellent work and I trust that M. Van de Weyde’s researches, will be extended, as you suggest, to the true tertiary beds.1 These ought to yield most important results, as everything hitherto found in them has been of extreme interest. Nesodon & Homatodeutotherium must have had numerous relations living with or near them—2 The Toxodon skull, as shown in the photograph is very fine & perfect— the rest appear to be nearly all Mylodon—certainly the femur tibia & phalanges—and probably the jaw marked with a cross.3 If not Mylodon it is a closely allied form, but the small photograph alone is not sufficient to determine its specific characters. I shall be glad to keep them, as you kindly permit.
We have all been for six weeks in Germany, in the volcanic country at Laach near Coblenz,4 and had a very pleasant holiday.
On our return my wife & I were much shocked & grieved at hearing the terrible loss that your son Frank had suffered.5 We feel most deeply for him and all of you. With our united kind regards & sympathy | Believe me | your’s very truly | W. H. Flower
CD annotations
Footnotes
Bibliography
Fossil Mammalia: Pt 1 of The zoology of the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle … during the years 1831 to 1836. By Richard Owen. Edited and superintended by Charles Darwin. London: Smith, Elder and Co. 1839–43.
Summary
Identifies South American fossils in photographs sent by John Van der Weyde.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-10620
- From
- William Henry Flower
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Royal College of Surgeons
- Source of text
- DAR 164: 141
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp †
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 10620,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-10620.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 24