It should be remembered that French authorities claim that the Dorking was received into the South of England from Normandy, that it has been bred there since the time of the Roman occupation of Gaul, and that five-toed fowls of this type have been known in Northern France for many centuries. In support of this statement M. La Perre de Roo speaks
[11] of the ‘race commune à cinq doigts’ (common fowl with five toes) as follows: ‘The breed is characterized by the peculiarity of a fifth toe which she carries on each foot, and is found in the neighbourhood of Courtrai, Bruges, Ghent, and other Belgian towns, and also in the northern departments of France, where it has a high and well-merited reputation.’