VOYAGE IN THE "BEAGLE." 23 



importance, and the secret of all his success in science. 

 He tells us that the love of sport was present at first 

 in all its keenness, but that he gradually abandoned 

 it for scientific work. 



Among his numerous observations and discoveries 

 during the voyage, those which appear to stand out 

 in his mind so that he quotes them in his "Auto- 

 biography " are — the explanation of the forms of coral 

 islands, the geological structure of St. Helena and 

 other islands, and the relations between the animals 

 and plants of the several Galapagos islands to each 

 other and to those of South America. His letters 

 and the collections which he sent home attracted 

 much attention ; and Sedgwick told Dr. Darwin that 

 his son would take a place among the leading scientific 

 men. When Darwin heard this from his sisters, he 

 says, " I clambered over the mountains of Ascension 

 with a bounding step, and made the volcanic rocks 

 resound under my geological hammer." His letters 

 during the voyage are full of enthusiasm and of 

 longing to return to his family and friends. 



There was the same conflict between the naval 

 and scientific departments of the Beagle on the un- 

 tidiness of the decks which was afterwards repeated on 

 the Challenger, where I have been told that one of the 

 naval authorities used to say, with resigned disgust, 



" Oh, no, we're not a man-of-war, we're only a 



dredger ! " 



In the course u the voyage the following countries 

 and islands were visited in the order given : — The 



