To Alfred Moschkau 19 December 1873
Down, | Beckenham, Kent.
Dec 19. 1873—
Dear Sir
I thank you for your very obliging letter, & return the enclosed.1 I have, in my Descent of Man, alluded to parrots speaking, & in a new edition which I am now preparing I have added good evidence of their understanding the words which they use; & I will add, on your authority, the case of the starling.2
I am much out of health, & am overwhelmed with letters from many quarters, & therefore I much regret to say that it is impossible for me to offer to correspond with any one—
With sincere good wishes for your success in all the scientific work which you undertake, I remain | Dear Sir | yours very faithfully | Ch. Darwin
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
Discusses speech of parrots and starling. [See Descent, 2d ed., p. 85 n.]
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-9184
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Otto Carl Alfred (Alfred) Moschkau
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.433)
- Physical description
- LS 2pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 9184,” accessed on 20 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-9184.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 21