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From Herbert George Henry Norman   30 November 1866

Oakley | Bromley | Kent.

Dear Sir—

You asked me many years ago if I ever found a partridges foot with earth attached, you would like to examine it, as affording a means of dispersing the seeds of plants—1 I shot a woodcock today and enclose the foot with some earth attached— Should it be of any of use to you, I should much like to know the results, if it is not giving you too much trouble—2

I am yours truly— | Herbert G H Norman

Nov. 30th/66

Footnotes

1
CD had obtained the foot of a red-legged partridge (Caccabis rufa) from Alfred Newton in 1863 (see Correspondence vol. 11, letter from Alfred Newton, 31 October 1863 and nn. 2 and 4). He may have asked Norman, who was a neighbour, for a similar specimen around this time.
2
There is an entry in CD’s Experimental notebook (DAR 157a: 83) that reads: Dec. 2d. 1866   Mr Herbert Norman of Oakley near Bromley sent me leg of Woodcok with tarsus coated with mud, which when dry weighed 8–9 grains. Planted on burnt sand, Decr 3d. Dec. 8th a monocot: plant, apparently a rush, has [after del ‘or Luzula’] has germinated!!! turns out Juncus bufonius or toad rush— No record was made of any other plants having germinated. CD added the information to Origin 5th ed., p. 440. See also letter to J. D. Hooker, 10 December [1866].

Bibliography

Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.

Origin 5th ed.: On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. 5th edition, with additions and corrections. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1869.

Summary

Encloses foot of a woodcock with earth attached. CD asked about this many years ago with reference to seed dispersal.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-5287
From
Herbert George Henry Norman
To
Charles Robert Darwin
Sent from
Bromley
Source of text
DAR 172: 75
Physical description
ALS 2pp

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 5287,” accessed on 20 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-5287.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 14

letter

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