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To Gustaf Retzius   21 December 1881

Down, | Beckenham, Kent. | (Railway Station | Orpington. S.E.R.)

December 21st 1881

Dear Sir

I must again have the pleasure of thanking you for another grand present of your magnificent work, “Das Gehörorgan der Wirbelthiere”.1 Notwithstanding the generous words written by you on the title-page, I cannot feel myself worthy of such a gift.2

With my sincere thanks & much respect, I remain | My dear Sir | Yours faithfully & obliged | Charles Darwin

1
Retzius sent the first volume of Das Gehörorgan der Wirbelthiere (The acoustic organ of vertebrates; Retzius 1881–4), which dealt with the acoustic organs of fishes and amphibians.
2
CD’s copy of the first volume of Retzius 1881–4 is in the Darwin Library–Down; the inscription reads ‘

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

0.1 (Railway … S.E.R.)] parentheses added

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-13574B,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-13574B