My dear Sir,

I ought to have written to you concerning the Denbigh-shire caves—to which you gave me an introduction.¹ The first one about which I wrote to you, has been fully explored by the energy of M^rs. Lloyd, and has furnished a large number of human skulls & bones, and a few implements.² The skulls belonged to short-headed savages of Huxleys River-bed type.³ Craniologically, and Ethnologically the discovery is of some value, and I hope shortly to bring it before the Ethnological Society.⁴ M^rs. Wynne of Cefn invited me down to dig & supplied me with a virgin cave containing R. Leptorhinus (Owen) & the Grizzly Bear, and a stone cromlech full of short-heads.⁵ I have had a most enjoyable time in Denbighshire, and I owe it to you that I hope to be able to make some addition to our knowledge of Cave-short heads in Britain.

I thought that you would like to hear this upshot of your introduction to the Denbigh-shire folk.

Along with this note the three prehistoric scraps.—one of which British Prehistoric Mammals may perhaps be worth your notice. You will see that in it, I have viewed the Chillingham cattle as the lineal descendants of an old domestic breed, an⁠⟨⁠d⁠⟩⁠ not of the wild British Urus.⁶ Since it was written I have obtained more evidence on the point. The white cattle with red ears were not only the large valuable breed in Wales in the days of Howel Dha,⁷ but also in Ireland, in the days subseq⁠⟨⁠uent⁠⟩⁠ to the great Danish invasion.⁸ In Britain there is not the slightest proof of the Urus having existed in the wilds of Britain during the Norman occupation, or afterwards. Indeed one would hardly expect to find so large an animal capable of living side by side with civilized & quasi-civilized man in so small an Island as Britain. Moreover so far as I can make out the Urus of Northern Germany was not white   For these reasons, which are merely given in outline, I am obliged to retract my views of the Urus having lingered in Britain into the Historic Times.—(Quart Journ. Geol. Soc.)⁹ Possibly you may care to know this, and to have Irish authority for my bouleversement for the 2^d edition of ‘The Variation’.¹⁰ I shall be delighted to tell you all my evidence.

I am looking forward to your new work, with a feeling akin to thirst in a man, and curiosity in a woman,¹¹

I am My ⁠⟨⁠dear⁠⟩⁠ Sir | ⁠⟨⁠Yo⁠⟩⁠urs truly | ⁠⟨⁠W.⁠⟩⁠ B⁠⟨⁠oyd Dawkins⁠⟩⁠

Charles Dar⁠⟨⁠win⁠⟩⁠