Zoology of the Voyage of the Beagle. 289 



others ; — endowed with extraordinary talent for observation, 

 and a just confidence in his own powers of induction and 

 generalization ; and, added to these, the capability of re- 

 cording his views upon such phenomena as might present 

 themselves to his notice, in a style at once clear, forcible and 

 concise ; — are among the qualifications which rendered Mr. 

 Darwin peculiarly fitted to accompany, in the character of 

 Naturalist, a voyage like that undertaken by the Beagle. 



We cannot omit a passing notice of the course pursued by 

 Mr. Darwin, in reference to the disposal of the rich stores in 

 the different classes of the animal kingdom, collected by him- 

 self during the progress of the expedition. There can be no 

 doubt that the scientific attainments of this gentleman are 

 such, as would readily have enabled him to characterise the 

 greater part of the new forms which he had collected, so as 

 at least to have entitled him to be considered the original de- 

 scriber of the species ; and the name of * Darwin' would, in 

 that case, have been appended to some hundred birds, quad- 

 rupeds, reptiles, &c. ; a means of acquiring scientific notori- 

 ety, most eagerly caught at by some aspirants to zoological 

 fame. The manner, however, in which Mr. Darwin has act- 

 ed, with reference to this point, is not less creditable to his 

 liberality of feeling, than to his appreciation of the way 

 in which science would reap the greatest amount of advan- 

 tage from the materials in his possession. Thus we find it 

 stated in the preface, that while the specimens themselves 

 have been presented to those Museums in which they would 

 be likely to prove most serviceable, the descriptions of the 

 recent Mammalia have been undertaken by Mr. Waterhouse, 

 the able Curator of the Zoological Society ; the birds by Mr. 

 Gould, the celebrated Ornithologist; the reptiles by Mr. Bell; 

 the fish by the Rev. L. Jenyns ; while the fossil Mammalia, 

 the history of some portion of which constitutes the contents 

 of the part now under notice, have been placed in the hands 

 of Professor Owen. 



Mr. Owen's elaborate description of the Toxodon and Ma- 

 crauchenia, two of the most remarkable forms among the fos- 

 sil Mammalia, and his dissertation upon their probable affi- 

 nities, is prefaced by a slight history of the physical aspect 

 of the region in which these extinct genera were discovered, 

 with some account also of the nature of the deposit in which 

 they were embedded. This geological introduction, written 

 by Mr. Darwin, brief as it is, details some facts which appear 

 to us of the very highest importance, and which we trust will 

 be more fully treated of in the separate work which he is en- 

 gaged in preparing, upon the history of these deposits. 



