I wonder what Harvey will say. But no one hardly, I think, is able at
first to see when he is beaten in an argument.


[The following letters refer to the first translation (1860) of the 'Origin
of Species' into German, which was superintended by H.G. Bronn, a good
zoologist and palaeontologist, who was at the time at Freiburg, but
afterwards Professor at Heidelberg. I have been told that the translation
was not a success, it remained an obvious translation, and was
correspondingly unpleasant to read. Bronn added to the translation an
appendix of the difficulties that occurred to him. For instance, how can
natural selection account for differences between species, when these
differences appear to be of no service to their possessors; e.g., the
length of the ears and tail, or the folds in the enamel of the teeth of
various species of rodents? Krause, in his book, 'Charles Darwin,' page
91, criticises Bronn's conduct in this manner, but it will be seen that my
father actually suggested the addition of Bronn's remarks. A more serious
charge against Bronn made by Krause (op. cit. page 87) is that he left out
passages of which he did not approve, as, for instance, the passage
('Origin,' first edition, page 488) "Light will be thrown on the origin of
man and his history." I have no evidence as to whether my father did or
did not know of these alterations.]


CHARLES DARWIN TO H.G. BRONN.
Down, February 4 [1860].

Dear and much honoured Sir,

I thank you sincerely for your most kind letter; I feared that you would