436 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. 1909. 
and proves that the “ Zoonomia” of his grandfather, Erasmus, and 
the doctrines of Lamarck, as far as he was acquainted with them, 
had not taken very deep root. 
So he proceeded to study theology. But he did it much in the same 
way as he had studied medicine in Edinburgh; he listened only to 
what pleased him, and that can not have been very much, for here, 
too, he complained of the dullness of official lectures. Nevertheless, 
at the end of three years he passed his examination quite creditably 
and received the degree of B. A. 
Of the greatest advantage to him in Cambridge was his intercourse 
with two distinguished teachers of the university, and this inter- 
course probably guided him imperceptibly toward the real work of 
his life. One of these teachers was Professor Henslow, a theologian 
who afterwards accepted a living, but who had a comprehensive 
knowledge not only of entomology, but of chemistry, botany, min- 
eralogy, and geology. By Henslow, Darwin was introduced to the 
professor of geology, Sedgwick, and he, too, interested himself greatly 
in the young man, taking him with him on his longer geological excur- 
sions, and thus giving him a most valuable introduction to the science. 
This proved of the greatest use to Darwin on his travels, and probably 
enabled him to make his numerous geological observations. 
Other older men also admitted Darwin to their friendship, so that 
it is obvious that there must have been something about him even 
then which distinguished him from others of his age. His interests 
now began to widen; he came under the educative influence of art, 
and studied the picture gallery in Cambridge, and later the National 
Gallery in London. He gained the entrance to a musical circle, and 
derived great pleasure from music, though, curiously enough, as he 
tells us, he was almost destitute of “ ear,” and could not even whistle 
“God Save the King” correctly. He was thus one of those rare 
persons who are exceedingly sensitive to the emotional effect of music 
and yet possess little or nothing of its physical basis, the sense of tone. 
In addition.to all this, Darwin retained his passion for beetles, and 
collected with such ardor that twenty years later he recognized at 
sight small rare species he had found under bark or moss at that time. 
His powers of observation had thus been awakened, although as yet 
they were employed mainly to minister to his zeal for collecting. 
But collecting is not a mere amusement for the young naturalist; 
it is a necessary discipline in surveying a definite range of forms, and 
it can not well be replaced by anything else. One who has never 
collected, and thus never made himself thoroughly acquainted with 
a limited circle of forms, will find it difficult to fill up the gap in his 
attainments in later life. 
In vacation time toward the autumn of each year Darwin turned 
again with enthusiasm to sport, either at his home in Shrewsbury 
