110 ZOOLOGY 



care. But it is, I repeat, a principal feature of his life, 

 that for nearly forty years he never knew one day of the 

 health of ordinary men, and that thus his life was one 

 long struggle against the weariness and strain of sick- 

 ness. And this cannot be told without speaking of 

 the 'one condition which enabled him to bear the 

 strain and fight out the struggle to the end." (Francis 

 Darwin.} 



Monograph io. In 1842 Darwin settled near the village of Down 

 in Kent, where he remained for the rest of his life. Al- 

 though not far from London, it was a thoroughly rural 

 spot, with plenty of flowers and birds. Here, during 

 the next fifteen years, the various works arising out of 

 the voyage of the Beagle were completed, and in addi- 

 tion Darwin wrote a monograph of the living and fossil 

 Cirripedia or barnacles. This latter, being strictly tech- 

 nical, is unknown to the public, but it was a first-class 

 piece of zoological work, and has stood the test of time 

 as few such writings have. Some critics regretted that 

 a man of Darwin's ability should have spent so much 

 time describing and classifying innumerable specimens ; 

 but he always said that the experience was most valu- 

 able to him, as it brought him into intimate contact 

 with the problem of species. The naturalist who shirks 

 such drudgery, in order to give his time to larger and 

 more attractive projects, will certainly fail from lack of 

 detailed knowledge of his materials. While all this was 

 going on, Darwin was patiently accumulating data of 

 all sorts bearing on the problem of evolution, experi- 

 menting on his own account, reading books of every 

 kind, and corresponding with people all over the world 

 who might be able to help him with facts. Yet he did 

 not publish, and confided his views to only a few of his 

 most intimate friends. 



