19 



SATURDAY, JULY 10th 



Excursion to Down. — The members and their friends availed 

 themselves of the very kind invitation of Charles Darwin, Esq., 

 LL.D., F.R.S., &c., &c., to spend the afternoon at his house at 

 Down. Among the visitors on the occasion, were Heix Hesse- Wartegg 

 and J. Jenner Weir, Esq., F.L.S. The party was received in the 

 drawing-room by Mi*, and Mrs. Danvin, Miss Darwin, and Dr. 

 Francis Darwin. Here Mr. Darwin exhibited and described some of 

 his most prized curiosities, prominent among which were the 

 large Photographic Albums presented to him by his enthusiastic 

 admu-ers in Germany and Holland. In the study, was shown the 

 ari'angement by which the great naturalist was making himself 

 acquainted with the habits of the earth-worm. Wine and other 

 refreshments were provided in the verandah. When Mr. Darwin 

 at length felt fatigued and faint and was compelled to retire, he 

 said, in bidding his visitors adieu, that he had felt very proud and 

 happy in seeing them at his house that day. 



At the " White Hart " Hotel, Oi"pington, dinner was provided 

 for 43 ladies and gentlemen. Mr. Darwin's health was enthusias- 

 tically drunk, and the toast was responded to by Mr. J. Jenner Weir. 

 Mr. Weir said that Mr. Darwin had introduced into the world a new 

 system of philosophy. We had all long ago rejected the watch- 

 making theory of Paley, and felt that, in some way or other, the 

 animal and vegetable world had been evolved by a natural process. 

 We knew that each species was derived by evolution from the ovum, 

 but it was reserved for IVIr. Danvin to show the great part which 

 was played by " Natural Selection," or the " Sui-vival of the Fittest." 

 We found in the species around us constant variations from the 

 nonual type — if some were better fitted, or in other words responded 

 more satisfactorily to their environment, they became favoured in 

 the struggle for existence, and sometimes even displaced the normal 

 type. Nature, Mr. Weir remarked, was always making what perhaps 

 might be teimed tentative expeiiments ; and confining his observa- 

 tions to this action of nature in colour, and taking white for an 

 example, he instanced white rabbits, which had often been produced 



