CHARLES ROBERT DARWIN. 393 



was his habit to rise early in the morning, and after 

 breakfast work from eight to half-past nine, and 

 then read his letters. At ten or half-past, he went 

 back to his work till twelve. After exercise in the 

 " Sandwalk," a narrow strip of land, one and a 

 half acres in extent, with a gravel walk round it, 

 planted with a variety of trees, in which he 

 watched the birds and squirrels, he lunched and 

 read his newspaper. After this he wrote letters, 

 and about three o'clock rested for a time on the 

 sofa, some of his family reading to him, often a 

 novel, the work of Walter Scott, George Eliot, 

 Miss Austen, or others. At four he walked again, 

 worked from half-past four till half-past five, dined, 

 and usually spent his evenings, after a game of 

 backgammon with his wife, or hearing her play on 

 the piano, in reading scientific books. Conversation 

 in the evening usually spoiled his rest for the night, 

 but he could do a great amount of work if he kept 

 to his regular routine. In each book, as he read 

 it, he marked passages bearing on his Avork. In 

 reading a book or pamphlet, he made pencil lines 

 at the side of the page, often adding short remarks, 

 and at the end made a list of the pages marked. 



Darwin said of himself: "At no time am I a 

 quick thinker or writer ; whatever I have done in 

 science has solely been by long pondering, patience, 

 and industry. ... I think that I am superior to 

 the common run of men in noticing things which 

 easily escape attention, and in observing them 

 carefully. My industry has been nearly as great 



