72 THE PERSONALITY OF CHARLES DARWIN 



From all Darwin's writings there shines forth 

 the most charming sympathy and even affection 

 for the animals and plants which he studied. 

 * . . . I can hardly believe that any one could be 

 so good-natured as to take such trouble and do 

 such a very disagreeable thing as kill babies,' 

 he wrote, referring to a young chicken and nest- 

 ling pigeon required for his investigations ; l and 

 in another letter 'I appreciate your kindness 

 even more than before, for I have done the black 

 deed and murdered an angelic little fantail, and 

 a pouter at ten days old.' 2 ' I love them to that 

 extent I cannot bear to kill and skeletonise 

 them,' 3 he wrote of his pigeons a few months 

 later. 



The same strong humanity and love of animals 

 is shown in the depth of his feelings on the 

 subject of vivisection. 'It is a subject which 

 makes me sick with horror, so I will not say 

 another word about it, else I shall not sleep 

 to-night.' 4 At the same time, he had no doubt 

 about the necessity or the wisdom of permitting 

 such experiments, and of course saw clearly that 

 1 the benefits will accrue only indirectly in the 

 search for abstract truth. It is certain,' he con- 

 tinued, ' that physiology can progress only by 



1 To W. D. Fox, Mar. 19 and 27, 1855. Life and Letters, ii. 

 46-8. 



2 July, 1855. Ibid , 50. 



3 Nov., 1855. More Letters, i. 87 n. 1. From the context it 

 appears probable that the letter was written to Sir Joseph Hooker. 



4 To Sir Ray Lankester, Mar. 22, 1871. Life and Letters, iii. 200. 

 See also 199-210. 



