From O. G. Rejlander 15 December 1874
1, | Albert Mansions, | Victoria Street, | S.W.
Dec 15/74
My dear Sir
I dare say I shall not see you again—see the enclosed emaciated figs.—1 Altho’ friends say I want no more Doctors but good looks— But I have a good thing to tell you and a good thing to give you—if I can send it—safely to a Town-adr.s—
The telling is this: the other cold night I was awoke out of my first slumber by the vigorous attack on the wainscote by a rat or big mouse— I was too ill to get up & had nothing to throw at the place so I bethought myself of what I had tried before—successefuly—but taken to be chance or coincident— I mewed, very-like a Cat. and the mouse stopped ceased its labor to get in for a warming expecting to be pounced upon— — After some time my wife2—I did not know she was awake—jogged me with her elbow and laughed out-right— “Well I never” “She’s gone— I couldn’t have believed it— I did not believe it when you told me before”
I laid awake for hours afterwards—but no mousie— I have drawn my conclusion You will draw yours.
What I have to give you is a groupe of stuffed sparrows. i.e. A hen with a little one on either side—with fluttering wings—feeding—one at a time— I saw it 15 years ago when my dog brought the crumbs for the birds— I sketched it then but have this year got it represented like Nature—
I am yours very truly | O G Rejlander
Chas. Darwin Esqr
Footnotes
Bibliography
ODNB: Oxford dictionary of national biography: from the earliest times to the year 2000. (Revised edition.) Edited by H. C. G. Matthew and Brian Harrison. 60 vols. and index. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2004.
Prodger, Phillip. 2009. Darwin’s camera: art and photography in the theory of evolution. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Summary
Awakened by a mouse scratching at night, he mewed like a cat and the mouse disappeared.
Sending a group of stuffed sparrows.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-9761
- From
- Oscar Gustaf Rejlander
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- London, Victoria St
- Source of text
- DAR 176: 118
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 9761,” accessed on 19 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-9761.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 22