My dear Haeckel

I was delighted to receive your cordial & very interesting letter. The photograph is so good that it is like having you in the room.²

I am delighted to hear of the splendid success of your lectures;³ but this must depend far more on the lecturer than on the subject— I fear you take much too sanguine a view of the progress of our belief in the descent-theory. I have just read a little book by Ernest Faivre who is very courteous & evidently sincere, but he cannot see a shadow of a reason in favour of the common descent of allied species.⁴ I am in a little confusion whether you have received the English or German Edition of my book; I first ordered the German edition to be sent to you, forgetting that you read English easily, but I subsequently directed the English to be sent to you. If you have both perhaps you will pass on the German edition with my compliments to Prof. Gegenbaur.⁵ If ever you have time to read my book I think you will find it of use in giving you a large body of facts on certain subjects.

Pray give my compliments to yr Russian friend Mikluska: I do not quite understand what you tell me about his discovery in regard to the swim-bladder; for I thought every one admitted that it was the homologue of the lungs.⁶ I am sorry to read what you say about Dohrn; but I was fearful, from a little paper that he sent me, that he was rather wild in his views.⁷ I have not yet rec^d the paper from y^r relation D^r Bleek;⁸ I wish he had ever attended to the Australian languages, for I am very curious to know whether they shew any affinity with the languages of Africa. Pray keep the book on the Canary I’s as long as you like.⁹ As for myself I keep in much the same state as during the last year & am able to do a fair share of work. I have just finished 2 papers on the fertilization of plants, & have now begun a small book on the Descent of Man & on sexual selection, which will appear to you an incongruous union.¹⁰

I am delighted to hear that you are so well in health & so happy. How fortunate it was that y^r career was not cut short by falling down from that lofty Alpine pinnacle.

Believe me my dear Häckel | yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin