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Charles Darwin; writes from Down, Kent, August 31, 1880:

My dear Prof. Marsh,—

I received some time ago your very kind note of July 28th, and yesterday the magnificent volume.* I have looked with renewed admiration at the plates, and will soon read the text. Your work on these old birds and on many fossil animals of N. America has afforded the best support to the theory of evolution which has appeared within the last 20 years. The general appearance of the copy which you have sent me is worthy of its contents, and I can say nothing stronger than this.

With cordial thanks, believe me

Yours very sincerely,

(Signed) CHARLES DARWIN

For a full appreciation of this letter it should be remembered that Darwin's epoch-making work, THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES, appeared in 1859, so that the "last 20 years" referred to in his letter covered practically the entire elapsed time since its publication.

* Odontornithes, a monograph of the extinct toothed birds of North America.