A Birthday Gift. 1 5 1 



as " a great scandal." The reason for it will appear 

 amusing to-day, and is as follows, if we may believe 

 an eminent member of the Academy : 



" What has closed the doors of the Academy to 

 Mr. Darwin is that the science of those of his books 

 which have made his chief title to fame, the ' Origin 

 of Species,' and still more the ' Descent of Man,' is 

 not science, but a mass of assertions and absolutely 

 gratuitous hypotheses, often evidently fallacious. 

 This kind of publication and these theories are a 

 bad example, which a body that respects itself 

 cannot encourage." 



In 1879 ne was honoured with the corresponding 

 membership of the Berlin Academy of Sciences, the 

 seconders to the nomination being Helmholtz, Peters, 

 Ewald, Pringsheim, and Virchow. 



In 1879 ne was presented with the Baly Medal of 

 the Royal College of Physicians, and the same year 

 the Royal Academy of Turin gave him the Bressa 

 Prize for the years 1875-78, equalling twelve thou- 

 sand francs, a sum which he in turn presented to 

 the zoological station at Naples to enable them to 

 purchase some needed apparatus. 



On every birthday he received gifts from his many 

 friends ; one which he appreciated highly being 

 a set of albums from Holland and Germany, pre- 

 sented on his birthday in 1877. The idea originated 

 in the mind of Herr Emil Rade, of Miinster, and 

 the gift was tendered by one hundred and fifty 

 scientific men. The album, which contained the 

 photographs of these gentlemen, was magnificently 

 bound and illuminated in the highest style of art. 



