10 AUTOBIOGRAPHY. [Ch. H. 



riding tour on the borders of Wales, and this has lasted longer 

 than any other aesthetic pleasure. 



Early in my school-days a boy had a copy of the Wonders 

 of the World, which I often read, and disputed with other 

 boys about the veracity of some of the statements ; and I 

 believe that this book first gave me a wish to travel in remote 

 countries, which was ultimately fulfilled by the voyage of the 

 Beagle. In the latter part of my school life I became 

 passionately fond of shooting ; I do not believe that any one 

 could have shown more zeal for the most holy cause than I did 

 for shooting birds. How well I remember killing my first 

 snipe, and my excitement was so great that I had much diffi- 

 culty in reloading my gun from the trembling of my hands. 

 This taste long continued, and I became a very good shot. 

 When at Cambridge I used to practice throwing up my gun to 

 my shoulder before a looking glass to see that I threw it up 

 straight. Another and better plan was to get a friend to wave 

 about a lighted candle, and then to fire at it with a cap on the 

 nipple, and if the aim was accurate the little puff of air would 

 blow out the candle. The explosion of the cap caused a sharp 

 crack, and I was told that the tutor of the college remarked, 

 " What an extraordinary thing it is, Mr. Darwin seems to spend 

 hours in cracking a horse-whip in his room, for I often hear the 

 crack when I pass under his windows." 



I had many friends amongst the schoolboys, whom I loved 

 dearly, and I think that my disposition was then very 

 affectionate. 



With respect to science, I continued collecting minerals 

 with much zeal, but quite unscientifically— all that I cared 

 about was a new-named mineral, and I hardly attempted to 

 classify them. I must have observed insects with some little 

 care, for when ten years old (1819) I went for three weeks to 

 PI as Edwards on the sea-coast in Wales, I was very much 

 interested and surprised at seeing a large black and scarlet 

 Hemipterous insect, many moths (Zygoena), and a Cicindela, 

 which are not found in Shropshire. I almost made up my 

 mind to begin collecting all the insects which I could find 

 dead, for on consulting my sister, I concluded that it was not 

 right to kill insects for the sake of making a collection. From 

 reading White's Selborne, I took much pleasure in watching 

 the habits of birds, and even made notes on the subject. In 

 my simplicity, I remember wondering why every gentleman did 

 not become an ornithologist. 



Towards the close of my school life, my brother worked hard 

 at chemistry, and made a fair laboratory with proper apparatus 



