76 



Cincinnati Society of Natural History. 



with particles of matter so minute. And still it is only a sample of 

 the pains-taking qualities of Mr. Darwin, and an example of his 

 accuracy in research. 



This book was followed at close intervals by six others, all on 

 Botany, and treating of "Climbing Plants" (1875); " The Effects of 

 Cross and Self Fertilization in the Vegetable Kingdom" (1876); "The 

 Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the .same Species" (1877); A 

 second edition of the "Fertilization of Orchids" (J 877); u The Power 

 of Movement in Plants" (1880); and lastly, during the past winter, by 

 one on "The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Action of 

 Worms." All of these are full of new and interesting facts, and of 

 new experiments, bringing to light things before unthought of, and 

 creating in the minds of readers a thirst for more, and a desire to 

 study and see for themselves the matters there treated. 



In summing up an estimate of Mr. Darwin's work in science, we are 

 profoundly impressed with his versatility. He was a geologist, as his 

 " Observations on South America Geology," and upon " Volcanoes," 

 will testify. He was a palaeontologist. He was a biologist without a 

 peer. His works upon the Cirripedia, and on Coral Islands, show a 

 profound knowledge and wonderful observing power. His volumes on 

 Botany, on Orchids, on Insectivorous Plants, Various forms of Flowers, 

 Variation of Animals and Plants, show him to have been an observer 

 of nature, and an experimenter without a rival. One who with an eye 

 for everything, found nothing too insignificant ^to notice; and one who 

 saw the meaning of matters which to another were meaningless. He 

 was patient in his observations, never giving prominence to anything 

 but what was worthy. He never allowed his judgment to be warped. 

 He was fearless in stating facts, no matter what might be the conclu- 

 sions drawn from them, honest in acknowledging his errors, and 

 courteous in noticing the remarks of others. And as Prof. Gray says: 

 " Mr. Darwin's evident delight at discovering that some one else has 

 ' said his good things before him,' or has been on the verge of uttering 

 them, seemingly equals that of making the discovery himself. It re- 

 minds one of Goethe's insisting that his views in Morphology must 

 have been held before him, and must be somewhere on record, so 

 obviously just and natural did they appear to him."* His " Origin of 

 Species," putting aside all theoretical deductions, is a perfect encyclo- 

 paedia of facts; it is a condensed manual of observations made during 



* Nature X., p. 80, June 4, 1874. 



