NULLIUS IN VERBA 149 



the rate of bubbling is very greatly diminished. 

 Finally, by blowing vigorously into the water it 

 may be charged once more with CO,, and the 

 normal rate of bubbling may be established. 



There are of course innumerable experiments 

 in pure chemistry and physics which have this 

 romantic quality in the manner in which they 

 reveal the secrets of the invisible structure of 

 matter — but of these I have not much personal 

 experience. 



I think, too, that the human interest of science 

 should always be encouraged. I mean that those 

 classical experiments, by which great men have 

 advanced human knowledge, should be shown : and 

 performed moreover by the original methods, e.g. 

 the discoveries of Black, Priestley and Cavendish. 



After all, the real fun of science begins when one 

 finds out something that was not known before. 

 This is what is rather pompously called original 

 research. It is interesting to See in my father's 

 life how the sporting instinct gave way to the love 

 of discovery. To show this passionate love of 

 sport, he mentions that when as a boy he had just 

 shot his first snipe, his hands trembled so that he 

 could hardly reload his gun. Yet the same boy 

 on the voyage of the Beagle found out how much 

 more entrancing than shooting was the chase of 

 new facts and new theories, and he handed over his 

 gun to his servant. And something of this delight 

 one may have as the merest learner. You are not 

 likely to find out things that nobody knew before, 

 but you may easily find out things quite new to 

 yourself — ^which to you personally are as good as 



