My dear Fox

I should have answered your letter before this, but when you know the reason, you will say it is a good one.— But first, I must grieve over the loss both of your hawk & stuffed birds the first is the most serious one, but I cannot help grudging the fate of the others, as one gets a sort of affection for anything procured by one own self: I go to Cambridge on Thursday, & shall arrive there on Friday evening, & I hope it will not be long before you are there, & now for the glorious news. I have been introduced, & if I may presume to say so, struck up a friendship with M^r. Hope:¹ I met him at dinner, & I find he knows all my Scotch friends, & we had so much entomological talk, that he asked me bring over all my insects to Netley.² When we meet I will tell you the result, but I must mention, what he said, that for 4 or 5 years back, he had not seen such a rich case collected in one year yours must be still richer: I hope you had all the duplicates of carabi taken at Barmouth, as most are very rare, & some new he believes he is a perfect specimen of an Entomologist, so generous, straitforward. I could not prevail upon him to have any new ones, except 2 flies, he believes both new to England. My head is quite full of Entomology. I long to empty some information out of it into yours.— He thinks he can give me 3 or 400 speci⁠⟨⁠es⁠⟩⁠ at Christmas. the other day he sent 700 to D^r Fleming.³ In the spring he wants me to come an expedition, all over the Welch mountains & he insures me to find many new insects. I could write all day about him; but I long to see you! he has given me a great many water beettles.

Yours affectionat, | Ch Darwin

Catherine sends something more than her love to Julia, & entreats she will write soon.

I suppose you will soon be up at X^st. Coll: as the delightful! mornings! at the Priory⁴ are come to end.—