From J. V. Carus 11 September 1867
39, Elsterstrasse, | Leipzig,
Septbr. 11th. 1867
My dear Sir,
You had kindly ordered Mr Murray to send me clean sheets. To-day I venture to ask you for the same kindness. Since the 8th. of July I didn’t get any sheets, when I received them up to page 224. As I agree entirely with Mr Schweizerbart that it would be the best to bring out the first volume of the translation at the same time with the original, viz. in November, I want the rest of the first volume very much.1
As I am writing to you, may I ask you some more questions. The Dogs give me some trouble. I cannot get clear with some English expressions. Taking Linné, Systema naturae (I have Gmelin’s edition before me)2 as a means of explanation: mastiff is C. anglicus,3 Bull-dog is C. molossus, Water-dog is C. aquaticus. Now, Turnspit is C. vertagus, Dachs in German. What do you mean by “the turnspit-like German badger-hound”.4 We call the “vertagus” Dachs-hund (i.e. badger-dog). Is hound = C. gallicus? Then what is fox-hound, deer-hound? The retriever, is that C. venaticus L. Gm.? For the other names, spaniel, setter, pointer, you gave already notes to the late Mr Bronn, which I used of course.5 But even here I am afraid to get into a scrape. You say on p. 19. (Variation &c) “our hounds and setters or spaniels” and you add (in brackets) the translation: “Jagdhund und Wachtelhund”.6 Therefore “hound” is Jagdhund (C. gallicus L. Gm.?), spaniel = C. avicularius L. Gm.? (Hühnerhund or Wachtelhund). Bronn translates “setter” with “Spürhund”,7 which I think is correct. Terrier is C. terrarius of later authors, our Pinscher, good animals of this race ought to have a black palate as far as I heard, a character which Linné gives to the King-Charles-Dog; but this is altogether another race. If you will be so kind as to give me some explanation about these matters I should be most thankful. I have here Ham. Smith’s Dogs (Natur. Libr) what I mention in the case you would refer to figures8
Pigeons are less troublesome. I am sorry I cannot get hold of Neumeister, whose work is completely out of print.9 Carrier is “Botentaube”; Frillback is Strupptaube. You give the last word for the “common Frillback”,10 I think I may use the same expression for the “Indian Frillback” (of course then “Indische Strupptaube). Only the “Barb” makes me some difficulty. May I not use the same word in German: “Barb’ taube”? You give as translation “Indische Taube”;11 what is then an English Barb? Then: the Runt. Here you give two German expressions: Florentiner and Hinkeltaube.12 But Runt means the whole race. “Archangel” means the colouring like Marrubium; isn’t it?13 Is dragon a race of itself or is it synonymous with Carrier?14 Do you know any work, where I could find such toy-forms, as Priests, Monks, Porcelains, Breasts Shields and so on?15
I am sorry I trouble you; but I wish to make the translation as trustworthy as possible. And here I don’t see how I can do it without your kind help.
My best wishes for your health. I do hope indeed that you may be able to publish your second and third work16
Believe me | My dear Sir | Yours ever truly | J. Victor Carus
CD annotations
Footnotes
Bibliography
Linnaeus, Carolus. 1788–93. Systema naturæ. Edited by Johann Friedrich Gmelin. 13th edition. 3 vols. in 10. Leipzig: Georg Emanuel Beer.
Neumeister, Gottlob. 1837. Das Ganze der Taubenzucht. Weimar: B. F. Voigt.
Origin: On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1859.
Rütimeyer, Ludwig. 1861. Die Fauna der Pfahlbauten in der Schweiz. Untersuchungen über die Geschichte der wilden und der Haus-Säugethiere von Mittel-Europa. Basel, Switzerland: Bahnmaier’s Buchhandlung (C. Detloff).
Smith, Charles Hamilton. 1839–40. The natural history of dogs: Canidæ or genus Canis of authors. Including also the genera Hyæna and Proteles. 2 vols. (Vols. 4 and 5 of Mammalia in The naturalist’s library, edited by William Jardine.) Edinburgh: W. H. Lizars.
Variation: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1868.
Summary
JVC is having difficulty in translating the names of dogs [in Variation]. Also asks CD for help with names of pigeons.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-5625
- From
- Julius Victor Carus
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Leipzig
- Source of text
- DAR 161: 60
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp †
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 5625,” accessed on 29 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-5625.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 15