From Henrietta Emma Darwin [1 August 1863]1
A young cat of about the age of 10 months when put upon a soft cloak or gown used to take a piece in her mouth & then pound with her claws out & purr.2
CD annotations
gown] ‘generally’ interl after, ink
purr.] ‘& close her eyes & look happy.— Explain the pounding.— No mistake.’ added ink | ‘(& Purr)’ added pencil | ‘Aug. 1.— 1863 | Expression’3 added ink . Transcribed 27/11/96 as previously missed. AMP. . Checked 27/11/96. SL.
Footnotes
The date is established by CD’s annotations to the letter.
Henrietta made a series of observations on behaviour in cats; there is a memorandum in DAR 189: 7, annotated 28 March 1862, in which Henrietta recorded her observations on the cries of cats and their meaning.
CD evidently preserved these observations for use in Expression, pp. 126–9. Expression was published by John Murray in 1872.
Bibliography
Expression: The expression of the emotions in man and animals. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1872.
Summary
A memorandum describing the expressive behaviour of a cat with added notes by CD.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-4260F
- From
- Henrietta Emma Darwin/Henrietta Emma Litchfield
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- unstated
- Source of text
- DAR 189: 9
- Physical description
- Amem 1p †
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 4260F,” accessed on 19 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-4260F.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 11
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