THE LA'l'K CANON A. M. NORMAN 239 



Canon Alfred Merle Norman, M.A., D.C.L., F.R.S. 



By Prof. Alkx. Meek, M.Sc. 



Canon Norman was born in 1831 in Somerset and died on 

 October 20th, 1918, at the Red House, Berkhamsted, Herts, 

 but the greater part of his life was spent in the county of 

 Durham, He came to Durham in the year 1857, and left for 

 Berkhamsted in 1898. It was during the earlier part of this 

 period that he gathered his unique collections, the study of 

 which brought his name into prominence as a leading 

 authority on the Invertebrate Marine Fauna of the North 

 Atlantic. 



A son of John Norman, D.L., of Iwood House, Somerset, 

 he was educated at Winchester and Christ Church, Oxford. 

 He was ordained in 1857, and was appointed to a curacy at 

 Sedgefield in Durham. From Sedgefield he was transferred 

 to Herrington, then to Newbottle near Fence Houses, and in 

 1866 he was appointed to the living at Burnmoor, which he 

 held until 1895. His failing health was the cause of his 

 departure from Burnmoor, his life having been in imminent 

 danger more than once. He was then transferred to 

 Houghton-le-Spring, but during the few years of his residence 

 there he was not in the position to undertake further serious 

 work. He removed in 1898 to Berkhamsted, where after 

 some years he had many attacks of paralysis, ultimately quite 

 disabling him. Even during these failing years at Houghton- 

 le-Spring and at Berkhamsted he continued to give welcome 

 help and advice to workers in different groups of Marine 

 Zoology. 



While he was but a child he was introduced to field botany 

 by his brother, the Hon. John Paxton Norman, who was 

 Acting Chief Justice of Bengal until his death in 187 1 at the 

 hands of a fanatic. At Winchester he began collecting 

 Lepidoptera, and when he went to Oxford he devoted his 

 spare time to a study of the land and fresh-water Mollusca of 

 the district, an account of which he published. Before he 

 came to the North of England — in 1854-55 — he acted as tutor 



