18 CHARLES DARWIN. 



Plinian Society, proving that so-called eggs of Flustra 

 were in reality free-swimming larvse. And it is 

 evident from his " Autobiography " that he took 

 every opportunity of hearing and learning about 

 scientific subjects. 



Darwin's love of sport remained as keen as ever 

 at this period and at Cambridge, and he speaks with 

 especial enthusiasm of his visits in the autumn to 

 Maer, the home of his uncle, Josiah Wedgwood, who 

 afterwards exerted so important an influence upon 

 his life. 



After Darwin had been at Edinburgh for two 

 sessions, his father realised that he did not like the 

 thought of the medical profession, and suggested 

 that he should become a clergyman. With this 

 intention he was sent to Cambridge in the beginning 

 of 1828, after spending some months in recovering 

 the classics he had learnt at school. 



He joined Christ's College, and passed his final 

 examination in January, 1831, being tenth in the list 

 of those who do not seek honours. The immense, 

 and in many respects disastrous, development of the 

 competitive examination system since that time has 

 almost banished from our universities the type of 

 student represented by Darwin — the man who takes 

 the easiest road to a degree and obtains it with the 

 minimum of effort, but who all the time is being 

 benefited by residence, studying, without any thought 

 of examinations, the subjects which are of special 

 interest to him, and seeking personal contact with 



