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Darwin Correspondence Project

From J. C. Clutterbuck   13 November 1881

Long Wittenham Vicarage, | Abingdon.

Nr. 13. 1881.

Sir

I read with much interest the notice of your remarks on Worms1

In or about the year 1833 I made an experiment with a view to improve a field of Sandy loam, by a uniform coat of Gault Clay.2 Since that time no manure except that from cattle has been put on the field. From time to time I have examined the soil and find a layer of Clay beneath now 312 inches with a certain degree of regularity all over the field   I send by this same post enclosed a specimen of the clay dug from the subsoil at 312 inches, deep— my Bailiff3 tells me that often in the morning, when he has seen the moles working he has very often seen the worms as in terror escaping to the surface before the movement of the moles under ground— I think these facts may interest you

James C. Clutterbuck

CD annotations

2.7 he has very … under ground— 2.8] scored red crayon

Footnotes

Clutterbuck is evidently referring to one of the reviews of Earthworms; for a list of the reviews, see Appendix V.
Gault clay is a stratum deposited across southern England during the lower Cretaceous period (OED).
Probably Henry Lovegrove, a farm bailiff employed by the Clutterbuck family.

Bibliography

Earthworms: The formation of vegetable mould through the action of worms: with observations on their habits. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1881.

Summary

Describes earthworms moving to the surface to escape moles.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-13482
From
James Charles Clutterbuck
To
Charles Robert Darwin
Sent from
Abingdon
Source of text
DAR 161: 181
Physical description
inc †

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 13482,” accessed on 18 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-13482.xml

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