GLIMPSES AT DARWIN'S WORKING LIFE. 621 



my scientific work, such as solving the problem of coral islands, and 

 making out the geological structure of certain islands, for instance, St. 

 Helena. Nor must I pass over the discovery of the singular relations 

 of the animals and plants inhabiting the several islands of the Gala- 

 pagos Archipelago, and of all of them to the inhabitants of South 

 America. As far as I can judge of myself, I worked to the utmost 

 during the voyage from the mere pleasure of investigation, and fi'om 

 my strong desire to add a few facts to the great mass of facts in nat- 

 ural science. But I was also ambitious to take a fair place among 

 scientific men — whether more ambitious or less so than most of my 

 fellow-workers I can form no opinion." 



Among the spoils brought home from the voyage Avere a number 

 of specimens of fossil edentata, the discovery of which, says Mr. Fran- 

 cis Darwin, " has a special importance as a point in his own life, since 

 it was the vivid impression produced by excavating them with his 

 own hands that formed one of the chief starting-points of his specula- 

 tion on the origin of species." Recording in July, 1837, the opening 

 of the first note-book on transmutation of species, Darwin refers to 

 the character of the fossils in the Galapagos Archipelago as the origin 

 of all his views. In the early fall of 1837 he made his first observa- 

 tions on earth-worms, on which he based a paper in the Geological 

 Society. 



In September, 1838, while busy on his book on volcanoes and coral 

 reefs, he wrote to Mr. Lyell concerning what was to be the grand 

 achievement of his life : *' I have lately been sadly tempted to be idle 

 — that is, as far as pure geology is concerned — by the delightful num- 

 ber of new views which have been coming in thickly and steadily — on 

 the classification and affinities and instincts of animals — bearing on the 

 question of species. Note-book after note-book has been filled with 

 facts which begin to group themselves clearly under sub-laws " ; and to 

 his cousin, W. D. Fox : " I am delighted to hoar you are such a good 

 man as not to have forgotten my questions about the crossing of ani- 

 mals. It is my prime hobby, and I really think some day I shall be 

 able to do something in that most intricate subject, species and varie- 

 ties." In another letter to Fox, he says : " The smallest contributions 

 thankfully accepted ; descriptions of offspring of all crosses between 

 all domestic birds and animals, dogs, cats, etc., very valuable. Don't 

 forget, if your half-breed African cat should die that I should be very 

 much obliged for its carcass sent up in a little hamper for the skeleton ; 

 it, or any cross-bred pigeons, fowl, duck, etc., will be more acceptable 

 than the finest haunch of venison or the finest turtle." 



His eldest child was bom in 1839, and he began upon him the 

 observations which grew into the book on the "Expression of the 

 Emotions." In October, 1846, Darwin informed Hooker that he was 

 about to prepare some papers on the lower marine animals, after which 

 he should begin looking over his ten-year-long accumulation of notes 



