162 CHARLES DARWIN. 



possible and desirable with the subjects upon which he 

 worked, all of which were of great interest to the think- 

 ing part of the general public, as well as to the 

 experts ; but in less attractive subjects it is not prob- 

 able that the plan could be carried out in this country 

 with any prospect ot success. 



It has already been stated that Darwin looked on 

 the " Origin of Species " as a short abstract of a greater 

 work he intended to publish. It is likely that he at 

 first contemplated a comprehensive work like the 

 "Origin" itself, but soon found that his notes on 

 domesticated animals and plants, the general results of 

 which had been condensed into the first three chapters 

 of the " Origin," would form a work more than twice 

 the size of the latter. He began arranging these notes 

 on January 9th, 1860 (January 1st is the date given 

 in the " Autobiography "), as soon as the second edition 

 of the "Origin " was off his hands, but his " enormous 

 correspondence," as he calls it in the " Autobiography," 

 with friends about the " Origin," and the reviews and 

 discussions upon it, must have occupied a large part 

 of his time ; and then there was the third edition to 

 bring out (published April, 1861). This edition must 

 have cost much labour, as many parts were modified 

 and enlarged to meet the objections or misunder- 

 standing of reviewers. 



Francis Darwin tells us that the third chapter of 

 " Animals and Plants, &c., " was still on hand at the 

 beginning of 1861. His work on this book was further- 

 more interrupted by illnesses and by other researches. 



I 



