Dear M^r. Darwin

You are kind enough to say, I am an observer, which I fear I am not, and could never be really, on account of my short sight. But may I ask if you notice that the longhaired cats like to be stroked the wrong way? & that they wag their tails when pleased?

My first Angora cat (I am not sure where its country is, but it was called Angora) is now possessed by M^r. Lowe,² & is a magnificent creature. It wagged its tail when pleased, & preferred to have its fur rubbed the wrong way. So does my present cat, which is of a real good breed.

Most likely you will think, as Amy³ said when she was quite a small child & I had told her some things about animals “I knowed all that, a long time ago.”

John is gone to Maidstone today: he seems to catch it on all sides