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Darwin Correspondence Project

From Samuel Butler to Francis Darwin   [before 30 May 1872]1

15. Clifford’s Inn | Fleet Street

Dear Darwin

My young friend May has brought me these this morning:   he tells me to say that they are entirely at Mr Darwin’s disposal, and that he shall be delighted in case he finds them in any way useful.2 I don’t think the lower one satisfies him, but I should think that a suggestion would be attended to: he said he found it so far more difficult to get a dog into the fighting attitude than the fawning one, that he had less chance of studying.

I send the drawings to you rather than to your father because it is no use troubling him at all unless you think them likely to please him. Would you like to meet the youth? he seems to me to shape uncommonly well.

Your’s very truly | S. Butler.

Footnotes

The date is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from Samuel Butler, 30 May 1872.
CD used Arthur Dampier May’s drawings of a hostile and an affectionate dog in Expression, pp. 54–5.

Bibliography

Expression: The expression of the emotions in man and animals. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1872.

Summary

Sends drawings of dogs in different attitudes, drawn by his friend A. May. FD should not trouble CD unless he thinks the drawings will please him. [See Expression, pp. 54–5.]

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-8305
From
Samuel Butler
To
Francis Darwin
Sent from
London, Clifford’s Inn, 15
Source of text
DAR 106: A6–7
Physical description
ALS 4pp

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 8305,” accessed on 19 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-8305.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 20

letter