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

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].

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-5287,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-5287