140 Charles Darwin. 



forms, both recent and fossil, comprising two thick 

 volumes, and Darwin humorously remarks that he 

 does not doubt that Sir Edward Lytton Bulwer had 

 him in mind when he introduced a Professor Long, 

 a character in one of his novels, as a person who had 

 written two huge volumes on limpets. 



This work contained, not only the life-histories of 

 well-known forms, but chronicled many new discov- 

 eries. Thus he explained the cementing appara- 

 tus, and made the remarkable discovery of minute 

 complementary males. 



In all his work, and in every effort of his life, 

 Darwin underestimated his services to science. His 

 modesty was proverbial, and even on subjects of 

 which he was the acknowledged master, he would, 

 with a rare and delightful sense of justice, express 

 the opinion that some one else might have produced 

 greater results with the matter at command. This 

 was so with his master-piece, as he says, in referring 

 to the time he had spent upon it : "I doubt whether 

 the work was worth the consumption of so much 

 time." The great work of our hero's life was his 

 " Origin of Species," and the voyage of the Beagle 

 was the time during which he was insensibly storing 

 up facts which were destined, under his skilful treat- 

 ment, to make him a leader in the scientific world. 

 That the theory of the great conception entered his 

 thoughts and left an indifferent impression long 

 before he realised its true import, there can be but 

 little doubt. The incidents which focussed his mind 

 on the great idea were the discovery of the huge 

 fossil animals on the South American pampas. He 



