Briefe. 
141 
An Fritz Müller von Darwin. 
^ Down-Bromley Kent. June 3. 1868 '). 
Your letter of Ap. 22^) has much interested me. I am delighted that 
you approve of my book, for I value your opinion more than that of almost any one. 
I have get hopes that you will think well of Pangenesis. I feel sure that our minds are 
somewhat alike, and I find it a great relief to have some definite, though hypothetical, 
view when I reflect on the wonderful transformations of animals — the regrowth of 
parts — the monstrous position of organs — and especially the direct action of pollen 
on the mother-form etc. Tt often appears to me almost certain that the characters of the 
parents are „photographed" on the child, only by means of material atoms derived from 
each cell in both parents and developed in the child 
Many thanks for all the curious facts about the unequal numbers of sexes in 
Crustacea; but the more I investigate this subject, the deeper I sink in doubt and diffi- 
culty. Thanks also for the confirmation of the rivalry of Cicadae. I have often reflected 
with surprise on the diversity of the means for producing music with insects and still 
more with birds. We thus get a high idea of the importance of song in the animal 
kingdom. Please teil me where I can find any account of the auditory organs in the 
Orthoptera? Your facts are quite new to me 
Your facts about the parasites of Cirripedes and Rhizocephala and of Renilla are 
most curious; but it is I think necessary to remember that when a plant is introduced 
in a country, insects sometimes discover that it belongs to the same family with those 
on which such insects habitually feed I have also to thank you for a previous 
letter of Apr. 3 with some interesting facts on the Variation of maize, the sterility of 
Bignonia and on conspicuous seeds. Heaven knows whether I shall ever live to make 
use of half the valuable facts which you have communicated to me. Your paper on 
Baianus armatus, translated by Mr. Dallas, has just appeared in our Annais and Mag. of 
Nat. History and I have read it with the greatest interest. I never thought that I should 
live to hear of a hybrid Baianus! I am very glad that you have seen the cement- 
tubes; they appeared to me extremely curious, and as far as I know you are the first 
man who has verified my observations on this point 
An Darwin. 
Itajahy, Sa. Catharina, Brazil, 17. Juni 1868. 
Sie werden schon aus meinem letzten Briefe ersehen haben, dass es 
mir sehr schmeichelhaft ist, wenn Sie meine Schrift „Für Darwin" einer englischen 
Uebersetzung werth halten. Ich sandte Ihnen dann einige Zusätze; da Sie nun 
in der neuen Auflage der „Origin" sagen, dass wahrscheinlich viele Naturforscher 
nicht meiner Meinung darin beitreten würden, dass Raupen und Puppenzustände 
der Insecten nicht von dem Vorfahr aller Insecten ererbt, sondern erst nachträglich 
erworben worden sind, so lege ich heute eine kurze Besprechung des Gegen- 
standes bei ^) Was den englischen Titel angeht, so habe ich keine bestimmte 
Meinung darüber; ich denke, dass der von Sir Ch. Lyell vorgeschlagene „Facts 
and arguments in favor of Darwin" genügen würde. Da alle Thatsachen sich 
auf Crustaceen beziehen, so könnte der Inhalt des Buches vielleicht noch genauer 
ausgedrückt werden durch den Titel: „Darwinism tested by Carcinology" oder 
„Carcinology as bearing on the origin of species". 
1) Eine Stelle dieses Briefes ist auch abgedruckt in Life and Letters, III, p. 83. 
2) Von diesem Brief ist nur das hiervor abgedruckte Bruchstück zur Verfügung. 
3) Ges. Schriften, .S. 259. 
