From J. V. Carus 28 May 1871
Leipzig,
May 28, 1871.
My dear Sir,
Allow me to draw your attention on some points of minor importance, which I cannot make out here.1
Vol. I. page 379, note 70. You refer to a paper of Dr. Chapman on Scolytus. In the first print you had written Dr. Algen. This name is inserted in the Index and remains there even after the alteration of it into that of Chapman, which is not given in the Index.2
Vol. I page 77, line 7 you spell Feegeans. As you mention in other places the Fijians I thought the former might be a misprint for Fuegeans; but I see from the Index, that it is meant for Fijians. I cannot refer to Sir John Lubbocks work. But if the Fijians are meant, wouldn’t you better alter the spelling to make it equal with the Fijians of the later part of your work?3
Vol. I. p. 29. line 9 you mention a Mr Leguay. The Index spells the name Lequay and places it accordingly. Which way of spelling the name is the right one?4
Vol. II. p 252–253 you tell of a pair of antlers at Moritzburg, each of which bears thirty-three branches This is a mistake. I have a list of the collection of antlers at Moritzburg According to this only the left antler bears 33, the right one bears only 27 branches.5 But it is the custom of the stag-hunters in naming the stags to call them by a number which is the double of the higher number of branches if this is not equal in both antlers. So this stag would be called a 66-branched (66-ender in German), although he had only 60 branches. A stag with 12 branches to the right, 10 branches to left antler is always called a 24-ender, although in fact he has only 22. In complete accordance with this custom the list before me gives the following details respecting the pair of antlers in question.
number of branches | number of branches of both | ! | |
right | left | antlers | |
27 | 33 | 66 | ! |
with other pairs you find for instance | |||
13 | 10 | 26 | |
11 | 13 | 26 | |
15 | 10 | 30 | |
12 | 16 | 32 |
and so forth
I am sorry to say that also in the Index there is a good deal of misprints. If you think it worth while I can send you the list. The second volume of the translation will soon be out. The making of the Index took some time.—
Hoping that your health is better I remain | Ever yours sincerely | J. Victor Carus
CD annotations
Footnotes
Bibliography
Descent 2d ed.: The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex. By Charles Darwin. 2d edition. London: John Murray. 1874.
Descent: The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1871.
Summary
Sends corrections for Descent.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-7774
- From
- Julius Victor Carus
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Leipzig
- Source of text
- DAR 88: 106–7
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp †
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 7774,” accessed on 26 September 2022, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-7774.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 19