-g THE METHOD OF DARWIN, 



this for his subjects before he gave them to the 

 world. His work on the " Expression of the 

 Emotions" began in 1838 and closed in 1872; 

 "Insectivorous Plants," 1860-1876; "Vegetable 

 Mould and Earthworms," 1837-1881. One of 

 the most notable legacies that he left to the 

 ambitious student is his example of great energy 

 and great patience, his incarnation of the truth 

 that time, as well as reason, is the handmaid of 

 science. 



Coupled with the habit of treating exhaust- 

 ively the subjects with which he dealt, and 

 the willingness to bide his time for publication 

 until his views had reached their full maturity, 

 was his extreme conscientiousness in giving 

 full force to the objections against his. general 

 results. The habit of pursuing all the facts to 

 their meaning made it possible for him to say 

 that he had been able to consider in advance 

 all the objections that were afterwards made 

 to any of his views. The summing up of his 

 experiments on Adonis czstivalis, in the " Effects 

 of Cross- and Self-Fertilization," is an example 

 of the great length to which he went in record- 

 ing facts, especially if they were in any way 

 opposed to his conclusions. He said, "The 

 results of my experiments on this plant are 

 hardly worth giving, as I remarked in my notes 



