My Dear Lyell

I send the Translation of Bronn:¹ the first part of Ch. with generalities & praise is not translated. There are some good hits. He makes an apparently, & in part truly, telling case against me, that I cannot explain why one Rat has longer tail & another longer ears &c. But he seems to muddle in assuming that these parts did not all vary together or one part so insensibly before the other as to be in fact contemporaneous.² I might ask the Creationist whether he thinks these differences in the two Rats of any use, or as standing in some relation from laws of growth; & if he admits this, Selection might come into play. He who thinks that God created animals unlike for mere sport or variety, like man fashions his clothes will not admit any force in my argumentum ad hominem.—

Bronn blunders about my supposing several Glacial Periods,—whether or no such ever did occur. He blunders about my supposing that development goes on at same rate in all parts of world. I presume that he has misunderstood this from the supposed migration into all regions of the more dominant forms.—

I have ordered D^r. Bree & will lend it you, if you like, & if it turns out good.³

I have written to Down about the 2 missing Reviews.⁴

I do strongly believe in SE. & S.W. corners of Australia having been Islands; & the S.W corner the oldest & most typical. Hooker has speculated on this in his Introduction.—⁵ So has Jukes.⁶ (By the way capital answer by Jukes in Saturday’s Athenæum to Sir — James’ wild speculations on change of earth’s axis).⁷ So did I many long years ago in little Review in Annals & Mag. of N. History on Waterhouse’s Mammalia.—⁸

I am very glad that I misunderstood you about species not having the capacity to vary, though in fact few do give birth to new species. It seems that I am very apt to misunderstand you; I suppose I am always fancying objections.—   Your case of Red Indian shows me that we agree entirely.—⁹

Miss L. says Bronn is very difficult German.—¹⁰

I had not heard of the Bovey Coal Plants.—   I hope Bunbury will undertake them.¹¹ Will Bunbury’s new position interfere much with his Science?¹²

Farewell | My dear Lyell | Ever yours | C. Darwin

I do not know who Bree is. I fancy he is son of old Rev^d. Bree, a good miscellaneous observer of habits of all creatures.—& Botanist.¹³ I had letter yesterday from Thwaites of Ceylon who was much opposed to me.¹⁴ He now says “I find that the more familiar one becomes to your views in connexion with the various phenomena of nature, the more they commend themselves to my mind”.—