vi PREFACE. 



a chronological record of his work would be a patchwork, 

 from which it would be difficult to disentangle the history 

 of any given subject. The Table of Contents will show 

 how I have tried to avoid this result. It will be seen, for 

 instance, that after Chapter VIII. a break occurs ; the story 

 turns back from 1854 to 1831 in order that the Evolution- 

 ary chapters which follow may tell a continuous story. In 

 the same way the Botanical Work which occupied so much 

 of my father's time during the latter part of his life is 

 treated separately in Chapters XVI. and XVII. 



With regard to Chapter IV., in which I have attempted 

 to give an account of my father's manner of working, I 

 may be allowed to say that I acted as his assistant during 

 the last eight years of his life, and had therefore an oppor- 

 tunity of knowing something of his habits and methods. 



It is pleasure to me to acknowledge the kindness of Mr. 

 Cameron who has allowed me to reproduce the late Mrs. 

 Cameron's fine photograph of my father as a frontispiece. 

 My acknowledgments, too, are gladly made to the publish- 

 ers of the Century Magazine, who have courteously given 

 me the use of one of their illustrations for the heading of 



Chapter IV. 



FRANCIS DARWIN. 



Wychfield, Cambridge, 



August, 1892. 



