Ɛpsilon

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

LS

1
The enclosure has not been found, but see the letter from Alfred Moschkau, 17 December 1873.
2
See Descent 1: 54, and Descent 2d ed., p. 85 n. 52. Moschkau had evidently described a starling that could say (in German) ‘good morning’ or ‘goodbye, old fellow’ at appropriate times.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-9184,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-9184