darwin and modern science-第108节

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Darwin's　time　was　divided　between　the　study　of　the　great　deposits　of　red　mudthe　Pampean　formationwith　its　interesting　fossil　bones　and　shells　affording　proofs　of　slow　and　constant　movements　of　the　land；　and　the　underlying　masses　of　metamorphic　and　plutonic　rocks。　　Writing　to　Henslow　in　March；　1834；　he　says：　　〃I　am　quite　charmed　with　Geology；　but；　like　the　wise　animal　between　two　bundles　of　hay；　I　do　not　know　which　to　like　best；　the　old　crystalline　groups　of　rocks；　or　the　softer　and　fossiliferous　beds。　　When　puzzling　about　stratification；　etc。；　I　feel　inclined　to　cry　'a　fig　for　your　big　oysters；　and　your　bigger　megatheriums。'　　But　then　when　digging　out　some　fine　bones；　I　wonder　how　any　man　can　tire　his　arms　with　hammering　granite。〃　　（〃L。L。〃　I。　page　249。）　　We　are　told　by　Darwin　that　he　loved　to　reason　about　and　attempt　to　predict　the　nature　of　the　rocks　in　each　new　district　before　he　arrived　at　it。

This　love　of　guessing　as　to　the　geology　of　a　district　he　was　about　to　visit　is　amusingly　expressed　by　him　in　a　letter　（of　May；　1832）　to　his　cousin　and　old　college…friend；　Fox。　　After　alluding　to　the　beetles　he　had　been　collectinga　taste　his　friend　had　in　common　with　himselfhe　writes　of　geology　that　〃It　is　like　the　pleasure　of　gambling。　　Speculating　on　first　arriving；　what　the　rocks　may　be；　I　often　mentally　cry　out　3　to　1　tertiary　against　primitive；　but　the　latter　have　hitherto　won　all　the　bets。〃　　（〃L。L。〃　I。　page　233。）

Not　the　least　important　of　the　educational　results　of　the　voyage　to　Darwin　was　the　acquirement　by　him　of　those　habits　of　industry　and　method　which　enabled　him　in　after　life　to　accomplish　so　muchin　spite　of　constant　failures　of　health。　　From　the　outset；　he　daily　undertook　and　resolutely　accomplished；　in　spite　of　sea…sickness　and　other　distractions；　four　important　tasks。　　In　the　first　place　he　regularly　wrote　up　the　pages　of　his　Journal；　in　which；　paying　great　attention　to　literary　style　and　composition；　he　recorded　only　matters　that　would　be　of　general　interest；　such　as　remarks　on　scenery　and　vegetation；　on　the　peculiarities　and　habits　of　animals；　and　on　the　characters；　avocations　and　political　institutions　of　the　various　races　of　men　with　whom　he　was　brought　in　contact。　　It　was　the　freshness　of　these　observations　that　gave　his　〃Narrative〃　so　much　charm。　　Only　in　those　cases　in　which　his　ideas　had　become　fully　crystallised；　did　he　attempt　to　deal　with　scientific　matters　in　this　journal。　　His　second　task　was　to　write　in　voluminous　note…books　facts　concerning　animals　and　plants；　collected　on　sea　or　land；　which　could　not　be　well　made　out　from　specimens　preserved　in　spirit；　but　he　tells　us　that；　owing　to　want　of　skill　in　dissecting　and　drawing；　much　of　the　time　spent　in　this　work　was　entirely　thrown　away；　〃a　great　pile　of　MS。　which　I　made　during　the　voyage　has　proved　almost　useless。〃　（〃L。L。〃　I。　page　62。）　　Huxley　confirmed　this　judgment　on　his　biological　work；　declaring　that　〃all　his　zeal　and　industry　resulted；　for　the　most　part；　in　a　vast　accumulation　of　useless　manuscript。〃　　（〃Proc。　Roy。　Soc。〃　Vol。　XLIV。　（1888）；　page　IX。）　　Darwin's　third　task　was　of　a　very　different　character　and　of　infinitely　greater　value。　　It　consisted　in　writing　notes　of　his　journeys　on　landthe　notes　being　devoted　to　the　geology　of　the　districts　visited　by　him。　　These　formed　the　basis；　not　only　of　a　number　of　geological　papers　published　on　his　return；　but　also　of　the　three　important　volumes　forming　〃The　Geology　of　the　voyage　of　the　'Beagle'〃。　　On　July　24th；　1834；　when　little　more　than　half　of　the　voyage　had　been　completed；　Darwin　wrote　to　Henslow；　〃My　notes　are　becoming　bulky。　　I　have　about　600　small　quarto　pages　full；　about　half　of　this　is　Geology。〃　　（〃M。L。〃　I。　page　14。）　　The　last；　and　certainly　not　the　least　important　of　all　his　duties；　consisted　in　numbering；　cataloguing；　and　packing　his　specimens　for　despatch　to　Henslow；　who　had　undertaken　the　care　of　them。　　In　his　letters　he　often　expresses　the　greatest　solicitude　lest　the　value　of　these　specimens　should　be　impaired　by　the　removal　of　the　numbers　corresponding　to　his　manuscript　lists。　　Science　owes　much　to　Henslow's　patient　care　of　the　collections　sent　to　him　by　Darwin。　　The　latter　wrote　in　Henslow's　biography；　〃During　the　five　years'　voyage；　he　regularly　corresponded　with　me　and　guided　my　efforts；　he　received；　opened；　and　took　care　of　all　the　specimens　sent　home　in　many　large　boxes。〃　　（〃Life　of　Henslow〃；　by　L。　Jenyns　（Blomefield）；　London；　1862；　page　53。）

Darwin's　geological　specimens　are　now　very　appropriately　lodged　for　the　most　part　in　the　Sedgwick　Museum；　Cambridge；　his　original　Catalogue　with　subsequent　annotations　being　preserved　with　them。　　From　an　examination　of　these　catalogues　and　specimens　we　are　able　to　form　a　fair　notion　of　the　work　done　by　Darwin　in　his　little　cabin　in　the　〃Beagle〃；　in　the　intervals　between　his　land　journeys。

Besides　writing　up　his　notes；　it　is　evident　that　he　was　able　to　accomplish　a　considerable　amount　of　study　of　his　specimens；　before　they　were　packed　up　for　despatch　to　Henslow。　　Besides　hand…magnifiers　and　a　microscope；　Darwin　had　an　equipment　for　blowpipe…analysis；　a　contact…goniometer　and　magnet；　and　these　were　in　constant　use　by　him。　　His　small　library　of　reference　（now　included　in　the　Collection　of　books　placed　by　Mr　F。　Darwin　in　the　Botany　School　at　Cambridge　（〃Catalogue　of　the　Library　of　Charles　Darwin　now　in　the　Botany　School；　Cambridge〃。　　Compiled　by　H。W。　Rutherford；　with　an　introduction　by　Francis　Darwin。　　Cambridge；　1908。））　appears　to　have　been　admirably　selected；　and　in　all　probability　contained　（in　addition　to　a　good　many　works　relating　to　South　America）　a　fair　number　of　excellent　books　of　reference。　　Among　those　relating　to　mineralogy；　he　possessed　the　manuals　of　Phillips；　Alexander　Brongniart；　Beudant；　von　Kobell　and　Jameson：　　all　the　〃Cristallographie〃　of　Brochant　de　Villers　and；　for　blowpipe　work；　Dr　Children's　translation　of　the　book　of　Berzelius　on　the　subject。　　In　addition　to　these；　he　had　Henry's　〃Experimental　Chemistry〃　and　Ure's　〃Dictionary〃　（of　Chemistry）。　　A　work；　he　evidently　often　employed；　was　P。　Syme's　book　on　〃Werner's　Nomenclature　of　Colours〃；　while；　for　Petrology；　he　used　Macculloch's　〃Geological　Classification　of　Rocks〃。　　How　diligently　and　well　he　employed　his　instruments　and　books　is　shown　by　the　valuable　observations　recorded　in　the　annotated　Catalogues　drawn　up　on　board　ship。

These　catalogues　have　on　the　right…hand　pages　numbers　and　descriptions　of　the　specimens；　and　on　the　opposite　pages　notes　on　the　specimensthe　result　of　experiments　made　at　the　time　and　written　in　a　very　small　hand。　　Of　the　subsequently　made　pencil　notes；　I　shall　have　to　speak　later。　　（I　am　greatly　indebted　to　my　friend　Mr　A。　Harker；　F。R。S。；　for　his　assistance　in　examining　these　specimens　and　catalogues。　　He　has　also　arranged　the　specimens　in　the　Sedgwick　Museum；　so　as　to　make　reference　to　them　easy。　　The　specimens　from　Ascension　and　a　few　others　are　however　in　the　Museum　at　Jermyn　Street。）

It　is　a　question　of　great　interest　to　determine　the　period　and　the　occasion　of　Darwin's　first　awakening　to　the　great　problem　of　the　transmutation　of　species。　　He　tells　us　himself　that　his　grandfather's　〃Zoonomia〃　had　been　read　by　him　〃but　without　producing　any　effect；〃　and　that　his　friend　Grant's　rhapsodies　on　Lamarck　and　his　views　on　evolution　only　gave　rise　to　〃astonishment。〃　　（〃L。L。〃　I。　page　38。）

Huxley；　who　had　probably　never　seen　the　privately　printed　volume　of　letters　to　Henslow；　expressed　the　opinion　that　Darwin　could　not　have　perceived　the　important　bearing　of　his　discovery　of　bones　in　the　Pampean　Formation；　until　they　had　been　studied　in　England；　and　their　analogies　pronounced　upon　by　competent　comparative　anatomists。　　And　this　seemed　to　be　confirmed　by　Darwin's　own　entry　in　his　pocket…book　for　1837；　〃In　July　opened　first　notebook　on　Transmutation　of　Species。　　Had　been　greatly　struck　from　about　the　month　of　previous　March　on　character　of　South　American　fossils。。。〃　（〃L。L。〃　I。　page　276。）

The　second　volume　of　Lyell's　〃Principles　of　Geology〃　was　published　in　January；　1832；　and　Darwin's　copy　（like　that　of　the　other　two　volumes；　in　a　sadly　dilapidated　condition　from　constant　use）　has　in　it　the　inscription；　〃Charles　Darwin；　Monte　Video。　　Nov。　1832。〃　　As　everyone　knows；　Darwin　in　dedicating　the　second　edition　of　his　Journal　of　the　Voyage　to　Lyell　declared；　〃the　chief　part　of　whatever　scientific　merit　this　journal　and　the　other　works　of　the　author　may　possess；　has　been　derived　from　studying　the　well…known　and　admirable　〃Principles　of　Geology〃。

In　the　first　chapter　of　this　second　volume　of　the　〃Principles〃；　Lyell　insists　on　the　importance　of　the　species　question　to　the　geologist；　but　goes　on　to　point　out　the　difficulty　of　accepting　the　only　serious　attempt　at　a　transmutation　theory　which　had　up　to　that　time　appearedthat　of　Lamarck。　　In　subsequent　chapters　he　discusses　the　questions　of　the　modification　and　variability　of　species；　of　hybridity；　and　of　the　geographical　distribution　of　plants　and　animals。　　He　then　gives　vivid　pictures　of　the　struggle　for　existence；　ever　going　on　between　various　species；　and　of　the　causes　which　lead　to　their　extinctionnot　by　overwhelming　catastrophes；　but　by　the　silent　and　almost　unobserved　action　of　natural　causes。　　This　leads　him