Dear Sir

As I presume that your picture is now finished I hope that you will allow me to thank you for your very great kindness in saying that you would try, when well enough, whether you could make two rough pencil sketches of a dog in the two attitudes explained in the notes, which I again send.¹ A German artist, lately dead whose name I forget, made for me through Mr Wolf the two enclosed drawings, but they seem to me so little expressive that I shall not use them.² The hostile dog is I think much the best of the two, and would perhaps do with a little alteration. I do not think that the enclosed photograph, about which you spoke to Miss Bonham Carter, shows what I mean.³ A dog approaching another dog from a little distance with hostile feelings always holds, I think, his head lower than in the drawing; and his ears are always pointed forwards. There is no trace in the photograph of the eminently characteristic bristling of the hair on the neck and back. I went, at your suggestion, to the two most likely photographers about taking a dog in the act of caressing his master; but they said they had no opportunity, and after reflection were evidently convinced that if they had they could not succeed. From what I hear that you say about the great difficulty of drawing a caressing dog, I shall perhaps have to give up the two desired illustrations; but I regret this as I have two good drawings on wood of a savage and caressing cat done by Mr Wood who draws for the Field.⁴ Mr. W. is not very familiar with dogs, and seems very doubtful whether he could represent what I have described in the enclosed notes; nor am I in the least surprised at this, now that I have heard what you said to Miss B. Carter on the subject.

Pray forgive me for troubling you with this long letter and I remain my dear Sir | Yours very faithfully | Ch. Darwin