2 NATURE STUDIES. 



than to any other, the wideness of Darwin's views as 

 a naturalist, and the noble generalisation with which 

 his name will in all future time be associated. The 

 voyage of the Beagle has been described by himself 

 in one of the most delightful works in the English 

 language. The charm of foreign travel to a mind 

 imbued, as Darwin's was, with a sense of the signifi- 

 cance of all Nature's teachings, is graphically pre- 

 sented in the "Journal of Researches into the Geology 

 and Natural History of the Various Countries visited 

 during the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle Round the 

 World." 



Returning home with shattered health, but with his 

 mind prepared to search successfully into the secrets 

 of Nature, Darwin was in no haste to propound crude 

 or immature speculations. The facts he had observed 

 seemed, he tells us, to <c throw some light on the 

 origin of species that mystery of mysteries, as it- 

 Las been called by one of our greatest philosophers/' 

 But fanciful imaginings were not the means by which 

 this light was to be concentrated. It would be well 

 if every one who desires to advance the interests of 

 science would bear in mind how our great naturalist 

 proceeded at this stage of his researches. " It occurred 

 to me," he says, " that something might, perhaps, be 

 made out by patiently accumulating and reflecting 

 on all sorts of facts which could possibly have any 

 bearing on it. 7 ' Perhaps a few months might be 

 thought no unsuitable period within which to arrange 

 and systematise the observations which were available 



