From T. R. Clephan 19 February 1873
Tübingen. | Würtemburg.
19 Feb. 1873
Honoured Sir,
Whilst reading your work, “The descent of man” I find on page 21 that you never heard of a man who possessed the least power of erecting his ears;1 and thinking it might interest you I wish to state that I can quite easily move my left ear towards the top of my head. I discovered this capacity some two or three years ago and if I am not mistaken my ability to move it increases. I have noticed that I move it when I wish to hear anything, at a distance, or not very distinct, but cannot say that it helps me to hear more clearly.
I cannot in the slightest move my right ear.
I am | your obedient servant | T. Richmond Clephan. | Student
To | Charles Darwin Esqr.
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
Reports that he has the power of moving his left ear towards the top of his head [see Descent 1: 21].
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-8775
- From
- Thomas Richmond Clephan
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Tübingen
- Source of text
- DAR 87: 53
- Physical description
- ALS 1p †
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 8775,” accessed on 23 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-8775.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 21