Dear Darwin

It is so long since we met that you will hardly remember me—¹ you were brought to my recollection a few days ago by seeing a water color sketch of yourself in the sitting room upstairs here, which was done I believe by [M^rs] Biddulph—² It is not at all like the portrait of you which appeared some months ago in one of the illustrated papers³—& if you like to have it I will send it to you—& in return you shall send me the book you have written (people say) to prove our relationship to the monkey tribe.⁴

If you would pay the old place a visit I should be delighted to give you another chance of shooting me in the eye⁵—though there is not nearly so much game of any sort here now as was formerly.

The trimming of the hedges so much has something to do with this decrease—& then the killing of all the hawks & carrion crows & polecats & weasels & stoats has caused an enormous increase in the numbers of rats which now live in the hedge rows in the rabbit holes &c &c and devour a vast quantity of the eggs of both pheasants & partridges & thereby do more havoc among the game than their natural enemies did.—

Hoping you are quite well believe me yours truly | A Mostyn Owen