LETTERS. 217 



saved the birds from an evidently unpleasant 

 experience. 



The last letter, deeply interesting both on its own 

 account and because it was written so near the end of 

 Darwin's life, was a reply to one from Meldola in which 

 he had said that the publishers were complaining that 

 the list of subscribers was disappointing, and that they 

 had expressed the wish that Mr. Darwin could see his 

 way to writing a much longer introductory notice than 

 he had done. 



"Feb. 2<Z[1882]. "Down. 



"DEAR MR. MELDOLA, I am very sorry that I can add 

 nothing to my very brief notice without reading again Weis- 

 mann's work and getting up the whole subject by reading 

 my own and other books, and for so much labour I have not 

 strength. I have now been working at other subjects for 

 some years, and when a man grows as old as I am, it is a 

 great wrench to his brain to go back to old and half-forgotten 

 subjects. You would not readily believe how often I am asked 

 questions of all kinds, and quite lately I have had to give up 

 much time to do a work, not at all concerning myself, but 

 which I did not like to refuse, I must however somewhere 

 draw the line, or my life will be a misery to me. 



" I have read your Preface and it seems to me excellent. I 

 am sorry in many ways, including the honour of England as 

 a scientific country, that your translation has as yet sold 

 badly. Does the publisher or do you lose by it ? If the pub- 

 lisher, though I should be sorry for him, yet it is in the way of 

 business ; but if you yourself lose by it, I earnestly beg you to 

 allow me to subscribe a trifle, viz. ten guineas, towards the 

 expense of this work, which you have undertaken on public 

 grounds. 



" Pray believe me, yours very faithfully, 



"On. DARWIN." 



