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 ; ^ 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.' * ' I love them to that 

 extent I cannot bear to kill and skeletonise 

 them,'* he wi'ote 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,' * At the same time, he had no doubt 

 about the necessity or the wisdom of permitting 

 such experiments, and of course saw clearly that 

 '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. Ufe and Letters, ii. 

 46-8. 



'' July, 1855. Ibid , 50. 



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

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



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

 See also 199-210. 



