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From Fritz Müller1   3 April 1868

Itajahy, Sa. Catharina, Brazil

3. April 1868

Verehrter Herr!

Ich habe nur wenige Augenblicke Zeit, Ihnen zu schreiben, aber ich kann die Post nicht weggehegen lassen, ohne Ihnen meinen aufrichtigen und herzlichen Dank dafür zu sagen, dass Sie die Freundlichkeit hatten, mir Ihr Werk über “Die Veränderlichkeit von Thieren und Pflanzen im Zustande der Domestication” zu senden.2 Es kam hier vorgestern an, und so habe ich erst wenige Seiten gelesen.

Die unmittelbare und schnelle Wirkung des Klimas auf den Mais (I, S. 322) ist auch von meinem Bruder beobachtet worden,3 der vor einigen Jahren eine Zwergform mit kleinen runden Samen aus Deutschland (Papageien-Mais) pflanzte; im Lauf von zwei Jahren wurden die Pflanzen so gross und die Samen so flach, wie sie bei derjenigen Varietät sind, welche wir hier kultiviren .... .

Ich lege Zeichnungen bei von noch einigen auffallenden Samen, die nicht abfallen.4 Bei der Marantacee sind die Samen nicht an den Fruchtlappen befestigt, sondern sie werden festgehalten durch den grossen weissen Arillus; da sie so aus der Kapsel hervorragen, sind sie natürlich deutlicher sichtbar, als wenn sie auf dem Grunde der Kapsel festgeheftet blieben. Diese Art bietet in ihren Farben einen eigenthümlichen Gegensatz zu einer nahe verwandten Art, deren Samen auf die Erde fallen, sobald die Kapseln sich öffnen. Es sind nemlich bei dieser letzteren Art die Kapseln grünlich, die Samen schmutzig-braun, nicht glänzend und der viel weniger entwickelte Arillus schmutzig-weiss.

Was den gestreiften Vorfahren der Gattung Equus betrifft, so mag es der Erwähnung werth sein, dass auch der junge Tapir ganz deutlich gestreift ist, wie mir von glaubwürdigen Personen berichtet wird; aber dies wird wahrscheinlich schon bekannt sein.5

Erlauben Sie mir nochmals Ihnen herzlich für Ihr freundliches und sehr werthvolles Geschenk zu danken und glauben Sie, werther Herr, dass ich treulichst der Ihrige bin mit aufrichtiger Hochachtung | Fritz Müller

Footnotes

1
For a translation of this letter, see Correspondence vol. 16, Appendix I. According to Alfred Möller, all Fritz Müller’s letters to CD were written in English (see Möller ed. 1915–21, 2: 72 n.); most of them have not been found. Many of the letters were later sent by Francis Darwin to Möller, who translated them into German for his Fritz Müller: Werke, Briefe und Leben (Möller ed. 1915–21). Möller also found final drafts of some Müller letters among the Fritz Müller papers and included these in their original English form (ibid., 2: 72 n.). Where the original English versions are missing, the published version, usually appearing in German translation, has been used.
2
Müller refers to Variation; his name appears on CD’s presentation list for the book (see Correspondence vol. 16, Appendix IV).
3
Müller’s brother, August Müller, owned land near Blumenau on the north side of the Itajahy (now Itajaí) river in Santa Catarina province, Brazil (West 2003, p. 149).
4
Müller’s drawings have not been found. In a note to the published version of this letter, Alfred Möller stated that the drawings were no longer available (Möller ed. 1915–21, 2: 137 n. 3). In a letter of 10 April 1868 to his brother Hermann, Müller mentioned that he had found examples of conspicuous seeds in Dichorisandra, Hedychium, and Maranta (Möller ed. 1915–21, 2: 140).
5
For CD’s discussion of stripes in horses, see Variation 1: 56–60, and 2: 351.

Bibliography

Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.

Möller, Alfred, ed. 1915–21. Fritz Müller. Werke, Briefe und Leben. 3 vols in 5. Jena: Gustav Fischer.

Variation: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1868.

West, David A. 2003. Fritz Müller. A naturalist in Brazil. Blacksburg, Va.: Pocahontas Press.

Translation

From Fritz Müller1   3 April 1868

Itajahy, Sa. Catharina, Brazil

3. April 1868

Honoured Sir!

I have only a few moments to write to you, but I must not let the post leave without giving you my sincere and cordial thanks for your kindness in sending me your work on “The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication”.2 It arrived here the day before yesterday and so I have only read a few pages.

The immediate and quick impact of the climate on maize (I, p. 322) has also been observed by my brother,3 who planted a dwarf form from Germany with small round seeds (parrot maize) a couple of years ago; within two years, the plants were as big and the seeds as flat as those of the variety that we cultivate here.... .

I enclose drawings of some more conspicuous seeds which do not fall off.4 In the case of the Marantaceae, the seeds are not attached to the lappet of the fruit, rather they are held in place by the large white arillus; since they protrude from the capsule they are of course more clearly visible than if they had remained attached to the base of the capsule. This species in its colours provides a strange contrast to a closely related species, the seeds of which fall to the ground as soon as the capsule opens. You see, in this latter species the capsule is greenish and the seeds are dirty brown, not shiny, and the much less developed arillus is dirty white.

With regard to the striped ancestor of the genus Equus, it may be worth mentioning that the young tapir is also quite clearly striped, as trustworthy observers have informed me; but you will probably already know this.5

Please allow me to thank you again most cordially for your friendly and very valuable present and believe me, dear Sir, very truly and respectfully yours | Fritz Müller

Footnotes

1
For a transcription of this letter from its published German source, see part I: 366. According to Alfred Möller, all Fritz Müller’s letters to CD were written in English (see Möller ed. 1915–21, 2: 72 n.); most of them have not been found. Many of the letters were later sent by Francis Darwin to Möller, who translated them into German for his Fritz Müller: Werke, Briefe und Leben (Möller ed. 1915–21). Möller also found final drafts of some Müller letters among the Fritz Müller papers and included these in their original English form (ibid., 2: 72 n.). Where the original English versions are missing, the published version, usually appearing in German translation, has been used.
2
Müller refers to Variation; his name appears on CD’s presentation list for the book (see Correspondence vol.16, Appendix IV).
3
Müller’s brother, August Müller, owned land near Blumenau on the north side of the Itajahy (now Itajaí) river in Santa Catarina province, Brazil (West 2003, p. 149).
4
Müller’s drawings have not been found. In a note to the published version of this letter, Alfred Möller stated that the drawings were no longer available (Möller ed. 1915–21, 2: 137 n. 3). In a letter of 10 April 1868 to his brother Hermann, Müller mentioned that he had found examples of conspicuous seeds in Dichorisandra, Hedychium, and Maranta (Möller ed. 1915–21, 2: 140).
5
For CD’s discussion of stripes in horses, see Variation 1: 56–60, and 2: 351.

Bibliography

Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.

Möller, Alfred, ed. 1915–21. Fritz Müller. Werke, Briefe und Leben. 3 vols in 5. Jena: Gustav Fischer.

Variation: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1868.

West, David A. 2003. Fritz Müller. A naturalist in Brazil. Blacksburg, Va.: Pocahontas Press.

Summary

Thanks CD for sending him copy of Variation.

Describes results of his brother’s [August Müller] experiments on effect of climate on maize.

Like ancestors of horses, young tapir is also striped.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-6089A
From
Johann Friedrich Theodor (Fritz) Müller
To
Charles Robert Darwin
Sent from
Itajahy, Santa Catharina, Brazil
Source of text
Möller ed. 1915–21, 2: 137–8
Physical description
inc (German trans)

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 6089A,” accessed on 26 September 2022, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-6089A.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 16

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