My dear Mr. Darwin,

I must beg you to excuse the trouble I am about to put you to in asking your kind assistance in a small matter connected with Part II of Weismann’s “Studies”.¹ I really feel bound in the first place, however, to offer you some explanation of the great delay which has occurred in the appearance of this work. Owing to the very small amount of my leisure time I took up the work in the first place with the idea of acting chiefly as editor—i.e. getting the translation done roughly at first & then revising it myself. I tried one translator who is a good German scholar but knows nothing of Biology, so that the revision of his work gave me far more trouble than if I had translated the whole of it myself. I then got one or two other translators to give me specimens of their work, but the result was the same—absolute nonsense! I determined therefore to do the whole work myself. Part II is now partly printed & I will I hope be out soon after Xmas.

The Author & the reviewers have all expressed themselves satisfied with Part I—so I suppose I must be.

Now to the object of this letter. Some time ago you were good enough to lend me ‘Kosmos’ for Dec. 1877 containing a paper by Fritz Müller which furnishes so many beautiful illustrations of Weismann’s conclusions that I propose to translate it (with the permission of the Editors— are you not one?) & give it as an Appendix to Part II. For this purpose I have just procured a copy of this No. of Kosmos, but on looking at the title of Fritz Müller’s paper (“Beobachtungen an brasialanischen Schmetterlingen”) I find that it is headed “III”, as though it were the third of a series of communications on this subject. If, without giving any great trouble, you could kindly let me know the Nos. of this publication which contain the previous papers I would order them (through Friedländer).² It is possible that they may also contain observations bearing on the subject in hand & as ‘Kosmos’ appears to be in very few private libraries to which I have access & as I have no time to go reference hunting at the libraries of the learned Societies I hope you will pardon my troubling you.

Please address to “21 John St. Bedford Row, London, W.C.³

I am extremely glad to hear such good accounts of your health & hope that we shall long hear reports equally favourable.

I always saw that Sir C. W. Thomson had failed to grasp the idea of Natural Selection & am glad that an opportunity has occurred of putting him to rights on this subject.⁴

Yours very truly, | R. Meldola.