Faraday to Richard Owen   January 18441

Dear Owen, - Who cares for bipeds or quadrupeds? They are as common as discontent, but I think even you may be interested in a triped which I happen to possess just now, and which, if you do care for it, is at your service. The fact is that in sending for some frogs for my lectures2, one of them, a fine fellow, proved to have but one hind leg. The leg is very powerful, and when on earth, or when resistance is afforded to its hold, it is astonishing to see how far this frog jumps by its aid. In fact, as to locomotion, the leg does the ordinary duty of two very well. I do not see any mark of a former wound, and I thought you might be pleased to observe first the frog's actions and afterwards its structure. If so, drop me a note and I will send it to you.

Ever truly yours, | W. [sic] Faraday.

Dated on the basis that letter 1545 is the reply.
Faraday's Christmas lectures "On The First Principles of Electricity". For his notes see RI MS F4 J3. Faraday used a frog in the fifth lecture on 4 January 1844, p.27v.

Please cite as “Faraday1544,” in Ɛpsilon: The Michael Faraday Collection accessed on 24 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/faraday/letters/Faraday1544