1 8 Charles Darwin. 



Step by step Darwin advanced in scientific learn- 

 ing. The vacation days were devoted to beetle- 

 collecting, while the shooting season in the autumn, 

 a sp<5rt to which he was passionately attached, as has 

 been shown, gave him an opportunity to study the 

 larger forms. 



In his last college days, or in 1831, Henslow had 

 so interested him in geology that he took up the 

 study and began a systematic investigation of the 

 local rocks. He examined sections, made maps, and 

 finally, in the summer of this year, undertook a 

 geological tour through North Wales with Professor 

 Sedgwick, which proved of inestimable value in later 

 years. 



In this period we see that the taste and love for 

 natural science are uppermost in our hero's mind 

 and steadily developing, — the natural preparation 

 which ultimately culminated in producing the great- 

 est scientist of the age. 



