My dear Mr. Darwin,

After the great number of years that we have corresponded (I think 1870 is the date of the first letter I ever had from you) I hope you will in future grant me the privilege of thus addressing you instead of the more formal & thoroughly Anglican “Sir”.¹ I have been so busy during the last week getting out the index &c of Part IV of the Trans. Ent. Soc. that I have had no time to attend to Fritz Müller’s article in “Kosmos” & I therefore will beg for an extension of the time for keeping your copy of that publication— should you want it particularly a post-card will ensure its return at the shortest notice. I think I explained to you that I propose preparing an abstract of the article either for “Nature” or our own “proceedings”.²

Now as regards Weismann’s book—Messrs. Sampson Low, Marston & Co. have agreed to bring out the book—we bear the risk jointly— They have made it a condition that subscription-circulars should be issued so that I am driven to the ‘begging’ resource after all. The English edition is to be a smaller size* than the German— this will I think be acknowledged as an improvement. The matter will be printed in full as given by Weismann but the plates are to be reduced— The latter have been commenced under the supervision of Prof. Weismann.³ The first essay on Seasonal-Dimorphism is nearly completed—i.e. the first rough translation. I am going to add the results obtained in connection with this subject by Mr. W. H. Edwards in his exps. on the breeding of Papilio Ajax & other species. I suppose you have seen the last part of his “Butterflies of N. America” containing the results of his exps. on P. Tharos.⁴

By the way; I came across a paper of S. H. Scudder’s the other day—“Antigeny, or Sexual Dimorphism in Butterflies”—in which he brings arguments against the Sexual Selec. theory of the colours &c of these insects. I do not know whether you have seen the paper— I can let you have the exact reference if you would care to have it. It was published in the “Canadian Entomologist”.⁵

Mr. Wallace’s article in this month’s “Nineteenth Century” is decidedly good.⁶

Yours sincerely, | R. Meldola.

* Demy 8^vo.