LETTERS. 203 



perha ps would lead to the retention or acquirement of some 

 ofthe'same struciurai characters . 



"I wish you all success in your essay, and remain, dear 

 Sir, yours very faithfully, u q^ Darwin." 



The next very brief letter, acknowledging the 

 receipt of a note, was written from Down, March 26th, 

 Jgi2» It contained some sympathetic remarks upon 

 the progress of Me Mpla's work upon Mimicr y. In 

 the succeeding letter, printed below, we find a very 

 definite statement of opinion as to the rdle of mon- 

 strosities in evolution : — 



''Aug. I3th [1873]. "Down. 



"Dear Sir — I am much obliged for your present which 

 no doubt I shall find at Down on my return home. . . . 



" I am sorry to say that I cannot answer your question ; 

 nor do I believe that you could find it anywhere even approxi- 

 mately answered. It is very difficult or impossible to define 

 what is meant by a larger variation. Such graduate into 

 monstrosities or generally injurious variations. I do not 

 myself believe that these are often or ever taken advantage of 

 under nature. It is a common occurrence that abrupt and 

 considerable variations are transmitted in an unaltered state, 

 or not at all transmitted, to the oftspring or to some of them. 

 So it is with tailless or hornless animals, and with sudden and 

 great changes of colour in flowers. — I wish I could have given 

 you any answer. 



" Dear Sir, yours very faithfully, " Ch. Darwin." 



The succeeding three letters show Darwin's 

 scrupulous care as regards the publication, although 

 with every acknowledgment, of the results obtained 

 by others. They refer to a letter from Fritz Miiller 

 which he had forwarded to Meldola. The latter had 



