1840.] HEALTH. 301 



C. Darwin to C. Lyell. 



Wednesday morning [February 1840]. 



MY DEAR LYELL, 



Many thanks for your kind note. I will send for the 

 Scotsman. Dr. Holland thinks he has found out what is the 

 matter with me, and now hopes he shall be able to set me 

 going again. Is it not mortifying, it is now nine weeks since 

 I have done a whole day's work, and not more than four half 

 days. But I won't grumble any more, though it is hard work 

 to prevent doing so. Since receiving your note I have read 

 over my chapter on Coral, and find I am prepared to stand by 

 almost everything ; it is much more cautiously and accurately 

 written than I thought. I had set my heart upon having my 

 volume completed before your new edition, but not, you may 

 believe me, for you to notice anything new in it (for there is. 

 very little besides details), but you are the one man in Europe 

 whose opinion of the general truth of a toughish argument I 

 should be always most anxious to hear. My MS. is in such 

 confusion, otherwise I am sure you should most willingly, if it 

 had been worth your while, have looked at any part you 



choose. 



* * * # 



[In a letter to Fox (January 1841) he shows that his 

 " Species work " was still occupying his mind : 



" If you attend at all to Natural History I send you this 

 P.S. as a memento, that I continue to collect all kinds of facts- 

 about ' Varieties and Species,' for my some-day work to be so- 

 entitled ; the smallest contributions thankfully accepted ; 

 descriptions of offspring of all crosses between all domestic 

 birds and animals, dogs, cats, &c., &c., very valuable. Don't. 

 forget, if your half-bred African cat should die that I should 

 be very much obliged for its carcase sent up in a little hamper 

 for the skeleton ; it, or any cross-bred pigeons, fowl, duck, 

 &c., &c., will be more acceptable than the finest haunch of 

 venison, or the finest turtle." 



