MyworkontheCirripediapossesses，Ithink，considerablevalue，asbesidesdescribingseveralnewandremarkableforms，Imadeoutthehomologiesofthevariousparts——Idiscoveredthecementingapparatus，thoughIblundereddreadfullyaboutthecementglands——andlastlyIprovedtheexistenceincertaingeneraofminutemalescomplementaltoandparasiticonthehermaphrodites。Thislatterdiscoveryhasatlastbeenfullyconfirmed;thoughatonetimeaGermanwriterwaspleasedtoattributethewholeaccounttomyfertileimagination。TheCirripedesformahighlyvaryinganddifficultgroupofspeciestoclass;andmyworkwasofconsiderableusetome，whenIhadtodiscussinthe’OriginofSpecies’
theprinciplesofanaturalclassification。Nevertheless，Idoubtwhethertheworkwasworththeconsumptionofsomuchtime。
>FromSeptember1854Idevotedmywholetimetoarrangingmyhugepileofnotes，toobserving，andtoexperimentinginrelationtothetransmutationofspecies。Duringthevoyageofthe"Beagle"IhadbeendeeplyimpressedbydiscoveringinthePampeanformationgreatfossilanimalscoveredwitharmourlikethatontheexistingarmadillos;secondly，bythemannerinwhichcloselyalliedanimalsreplaceoneanotherinproceedingsouthwardsovertheContinent;andthirdly，bytheSouthAmericancharacterofmostoftheproductionsoftheGalapagosarchipelago，andmoreespeciallybythemannerinwhichtheydifferslightlyoneachislandofthegroup;noneoftheislandsappearingtobeveryancientinageologicalsense。
Itwasevidentthatsuchfactsasthese，aswellasmanyothers，couldonlybeexplainedonthesuppositionthatspeciesgraduallybecomemodified;andthesubjecthauntedme。Butitwasequallyevidentthatneithertheactionofthesurroundingconditions，northewilloftheorganisms（especiallyinthecaseofplants）couldaccountfortheinnumerablecasesinwhichorganismsofeverykindarebeautifullyadaptedtotheirhabitsoflife——
forinstance，awoodpeckeroratree—frogtoclimbtrees，oraseedfordispersalbyhooksorplumes。Ihadalwaysbeenmuchstruckbysuchadaptations，anduntilthesecouldbeexplaineditseemedtomealmostuselesstoendeavourtoprovebyindirectevidencethatspecieshavebeenmodified。
AftermyreturntoEnglanditappearedtomethatbyfollowingtheexampleofLyellinGeology，andbycollectingallfactswhichboreinanywayonthevariationofanimalsandplantsunderdomesticationandnature，somelightmightperhapsbethrownonthewholesubject。Myfirstnote—bookwasopenedinJuly1837。IworkedontrueBaconianprinciples，andwithoutanytheorycollectedfactsonawholesalescale，moreespeciallywithrespecttodomesticatedproductions，byprintedenquiries，byconversationwithskilfulbreedersandgardeners，andbyextensivereading。WhenIseethelistofbooksofallkindswhichIreadandabstracted，includingwholeseriesofJournalsandTransactions，Iamsurprisedatmyindustry。Isoonperceivedthatselectionwasthekeystoneofman’ssuccessinmakingusefulracesofanimalsandplants。Buthowselectioncouldbeappliedtoorganismslivinginastateofnatureremainedforsometimeamysterytome。
InOctober1838，thatis，fifteenmonthsafterIhadbegunmysystematicenquiry，Ihappenedtoreadforamusement’MalthusonPopulation，’andbeingwellpreparedtoappreciatethestruggleforexistencewhicheverywheregoesonfromlong—continuedobservationofthehabitsofanimalsandplants，itatoncestruckmethatunderthesecircumstancesfavourablevariationswouldtendtobepreserved，andunfavourableonestobedestroyed。Theresultofthiswouldbetheformationofnewspecies。HerethenIhadatlastgotatheorybywhichtowork;butIwassoanxioustoavoidprejudice，thatIdeterminednotforsometimetowriteeventhebriefestsketchofit。InJune1842Ifirstallowedmyselfthesatisfactionofwritingaverybriefabstractofmytheoryinpencilin35
pages;andthiswasenlargedduringthesummerof1844intooneof230
pages，whichIhadfairlycopiedoutandstillpossess。
ButatthattimeIoverlookedoneproblemofgreatimportance;anditisastonishingtome，exceptontheprincipleofColumbusandhisegg，howI
couldhaveoverlookeditanditssolution。Thisproblemisthetendencyinorganicbeingsdescendedfromthesamestocktodivergeincharacterastheybecomemodified。Thattheyhavedivergedgreatlyisobviousfromthemannerinwhichspeciesofallkindscanbeclassedundergenera，generaunderfamilies，familiesundersub—ordersandsoforth;andIcanremembertheveryspotintheroad，whilstinmycarriage，whentomyjoythesolutionoccurredtome;andthiswaslongafterIhadcometoDown。Thesolution，asIbelieve，isthatthemodifiedoffspringofalldominantandincreasingformstendtobecomeadaptedtomanyandhighlydiversifiedplacesintheeconomyofnature。
Earlyin1856Lyelladvisedmetowriteoutmyviewsprettyfully，andI
beganatoncetodosoonascalethreeorfourtimesasextensiveasthatwhichwasafterwardsfollowedinmy’OriginofSpecies;’yetitwasonlyanabstractofthematerialswhichIhadcollected，andIgotthroughabouthalftheworkonthisscale。Butmyplanswereoverthrown，forearlyinthesummerof1858Mr。Wallace，whowasthenintheMalayarchipelago，sentmeanessay"OntheTendencyofVarietiestodepartindefinitelyfromtheOriginalType;"andthisessaycontainedexactlythesametheoryasmine。
Mr。WallaceexpressedthewishthatifIthoughtwellofhisessay，I
shouldsentittoLyellforperusal。
ThecircumstancesunderwhichIconsentedattherequestofLyellandHookertoallowofanabstractfrommyMS。，togetherwithalettertoAsaGray，datedSeptember5，1857，tobepublishedatthesametimewithWallace’sEssay，aregiveninthe’JournaloftheProceedingsoftheLinneanSociety，’1858，page45。Iwasatfirstveryunwillingtoconsent，asIthoughtMr。Wallacemightconsidermydoingsounjustifiable，forI
didnotthenknowhowgenerousandnoblewashisdisposition。TheextractfrommyMS。andthelettertoAsaGrayhadneitherbeenintendedforpublication，andwerebadlywritten。Mr。Wallace’sessay，ontheotherhand，wasadmirablyexpressedandquiteclear。Nevertheless，ourjointproductionsexcitedverylittleattention，andtheonlypublishednoticeofthemwhichIcanrememberwasbyProfessorHaughtonofDublin，whoseverdictwasthatallthatwasnewinthemwasfalse，andwhatwastruewasold。Thisshowshownecessaryitisthatanynewviewshouldbeexplainedatconsiderablelengthinordertoarousepublicattention。
InSeptember1858IsettoworkbythestrongadviceofLyellandHookertoprepareavolumeonthetransmutationofspecies，butwasofteninterruptedbyill—health，andshortvisitstoDr。Lane’sdelightfulhydropathicestablishmentatMoorPark。IabstractedtheMS。begunonamuchlargerscalein1856，andcompletedthevolumeonthesamereducedscale。Itcostmethirteenmonthsandtendays’hardlabour。Itwaspublishedunderthetitleofthe’OriginofSpecies，’inNovember1859。Thoughconsiderablyaddedtoandcorrectedinthelatereditions，ithasremainedsubstantiallythesamebook。
Itisnodoubtthechiefworkofmylife。Itwasfromthefirsthighlysuccessful。Thefirstsmalleditionof1250copieswassoldonthedayofpublication，andasecondeditionof3000copiessoonafterwards。Sixteenthousandcopieshavenow（1876）beensoldinEngland;andconsideringhowstiffabookitis，thisisalargesale。IthasbeentranslatedintoalmosteveryEuropeantongue，evenintosuchlanguagesasSpanish，Bohemian，Polish，andRussian。Ithasalso，accordingtoMissBird，beentranslatedintoJapanese（MissBirdismistaken，asIlearnfromProf。
Mitsukuri。——F。D。），andistheremuchstudied。EvenanessayinHebrewhasappearedonit，showingthatthetheoryiscontainedintheOldTestament！
Thereviewswereverynumerous;forsometimeIcollectedallthatappearedonthe’Origin’andonmyrelatedbooks，andtheseamount（excludingnewspaperreviews）to265;butafteratimeIgaveuptheattemptindespair。Manyseparateessaysandbooksonthesubjecthaveappeared;andinGermanyacatalogueorbibliographyon"Darwinismus"hasappearedeveryyearortwo。
Thesuccessofthe’Origin’may，Ithink，beattributedinlargeparttomyhavinglongbeforewrittentwocondensedsketches，andtomyhavingfinallyabstractedamuchlargermanuscript，whichwasitselfanabstract。BythismeansIwasenabledtoselectthemorestrikingfactsandconclusions。I
had，also，duringmanyyearsfollowedagoldenrule，namely，thatwheneverapublishedfact，anewobservationorthoughtcameacrossme，whichwasopposedtomygeneralresults，tomakeamemorandumofitwithoutfailandatonce;forIhadfoundbyexperiencethatsuchfactsandthoughtswerefarmoreapttoescapefromthememorythanfavourableones。Owingtothishabit，veryfewobjectionswereraisedagainstmyviewswhichIhadnotatleastnoticedandattemptedtoanswer。
Ithassometimesbeensaidthatthesuccessofthe’Origin’proved"thatthesubjectwasintheair，"or"thatmen’smindswerepreparedforit。"I
donotthinkthatthisisstrictlytrue，forIoccasionallysoundednotafewnaturalists，andneverhappenedtocomeacrossasingleonewhoseemedtodoubtaboutthepermanenceofspecies。EvenLyellandHooker，thoughtheywouldlistenwithinteresttome，neverseemedtoagree。ItriedonceortwicetoexplaintoablemenwhatImeantbyNaturalSelection，butsignallyfailed。WhatIbelievewasstrictlytrueisthatinnumerablewell—observedfactswerestoredinthemindsofnaturalistsreadytotaketheirproperplacesassoonasanytheorywhichwouldreceivethemwassufficientlyexplained。Anotherelementinthesuccessofthebookwasitsmoderatesize;andthisIowetotheappearanceofMr。Wallace’sessay;hadIpublishedonthescaleinwhichIbegantowritein1856，thebookwouldhavebeenfourorfivetimesaslargeasthe’Origin，’andveryfewwouldhavehadthepatiencetoreadit。
Igainedmuchbymydelayinpublishingfromabout1839，whenthetheorywasclearlyconceived，to1859;andIlostnothingbyit，forIcaredverylittlewhethermenattributedmostoriginalitytomeorWallace;andhisessaynodoubtaidedinthereceptionofthetheory。Iwasforestalledinonlyoneimportantpoint，whichmyvanityhasalwaysmademeregret，namely，theexplanationbymeansoftheGlacialperiodofthepresenceofthesamespeciesofplantsandofsomefewanimalsondistantmountainsummitsandinthearcticregions。ThisviewpleasedmesomuchthatI
wroteitoutinextenso，andIbelievethatitwasreadbyHookersomeyearsbeforeE。Forbespublishedhiscelebratedmemoir（’Geolog。SurveyMem。，’1846。）onthesubject。Intheveryfewpointsinwhichwediffered，IstillthinkthatIwasintheright。Ihavenever，ofcourse，alludedinprinttomyhavingindependentlyworkedoutthisview。
HardlyanypointgavemesomuchsatisfactionwhenIwasatworkonthe’Origin，’astheexplanationofthewidedifferenceinmanyclassesbetweentheembryoandtheadultanimal，andofthecloseresemblanceoftheembryoswithinthesameclass。Nonoticeofthispointwastaken，asfarasIremember，intheearlyreviewsofthe’Origin，’andIrecollectexpressingmysurpriseonthisheadinalettertoAsaGray。WithinlateyearsseveralreviewershavegiventhewholecredittoFritzMullerandHackel，whoundoubtedlyhaveworkeditoutmuchmorefully，andinsomerespectsmorecorrectlythanIdid。Ihadmaterialsforawholechapteronthesubject，andIoughttohavemadethediscussionlonger;foritisclearthatIfailedtoimpressmyreaders;andhewhosucceedsindoingsodeserves，inmyopinion，allthecredit。
ThisleadsmetoremarkthatIhavealmostalwaysbeentreatedhonestlybymyreviewers，passingoverthosewithoutscientificknowledgeasnotworthyofnotice。Myviewshaveoftenbeengrosslymisrepresented，bitterlyopposedandridiculed，butthishasbeengenerallydone，asIbelieve，ingoodfaith。OnthewholeIdonotdoubtthatmyworkshavebeenoverandoveragaingreatlyoverpraised。IrejoicethatIhaveavoidedcontroversies，andthisIowetoLyell，whomanyyearsago，inreferencetomygeologicalworks，stronglyadvisedmenevertogetentangledinacontroversy，asitrarelydidanygoodandcausedamiserablelossoftimeandtemper。
WheneverIhavefoundoutthatIhaveblundered，orthatmyworkhasbeenimperfect，andwhenIhavebeencontemptuouslycriticised，andevenwhenI
havebeenoverpraised，sothatIhavefeltmortified，ithasbeenmygreatestcomforttosayhundredsoftimestomyselfthat"IhaveworkedashardandaswellasIcould，andnomancandomorethanthis。"IrememberwheninGoodSuccessBay，inTierradelFuego，thinking（and，Ibelieve，thatIwrotehometotheeffect）thatIcouldnotemploymylifebetterthaninaddingalittletoNaturalScience。ThisIhavedonetothebestofmyabilities，andcriticsmaysaywhattheylike，buttheycannotdestroythisconviction。
Duringthetwolastmonthsof1859Iwasfullyoccupiedinpreparingasecondeditionofthe’Origin，’andbyanenormouscorrespondence。OnJanuary1st，1860，Ibeganarrangingmynotesformyworkonthe’VariationofAnimalsandPlantsunderDomestication;’butitwasnotpublisheduntilthebeginningof1868;thedelayhavingbeencausedpartlybyfrequentillnesses，oneofwhichlastedsevenmonths，andpartlybybeingtemptedtopublishonothersubjectswhichatthetimeinterestedmemore。
OnMay15th，1862，mylittlebookonthe’FertilisationofOrchids，’whichcostmetenmonths’work，waspublished:mostofthefactshadbeenslowlyaccumulatedduringseveralpreviousyears。Duringthesummerof1839，and，Ibelieve，duringtheprevioussummer，Iwasledtoattendtothecross—
fertilisationofflowersbytheaidofinsects，fromhavingcometotheconclusioninmyspeculationsontheoriginofspecies，thatcrossingplayedanimportantpartinkeepingspecificformsconstant。Iattendedtothesubjectmoreorlessduringeverysubsequentsummer;andmyinterestinitwasgreatlyenhancedbyhavingprocuredandreadinNovember1841，throughtheadviceofRobertBrown，acopyofC。K。Sprengel’swonderfulbook，’DasentdeckteGeheimnissderNatur。’Forsomeyearsbefore1862I
hadspeciallyattendedtothefertilisationofourBritishorchids;anditseemedtomethebestplantoprepareascompleteatreatiseonthisgroupofplantsaswellasIcould，ratherthantoutilisethegreatmassofmatterwhichIhadslowlycollectedwithrespecttootherplants。
Myresolveprovedawiseone;forsincetheappearanceofmybook，asurprisingnumberofpapersandseparateworksonthefertilisationofallkindsofflowershaveappeared:andthesearefarbetterdonethanIcouldpossiblyhaveeffected。ThemeritsofpooroldSprengel，solongoverlooked，arenowfullyrecognisedmanyyearsafterhisdeath。
DuringthesameyearIpublishedinthe’JournaloftheLinneanSociety’apaper"OntheTwoForms，orDimorphicConditionofPrimula，"andduringthenextfiveyears，fiveotherpapersondimorphicandtrimorphicplants。I
donotthinkanythinginmyscientificlifehasgivenmesomuchsatisfactionasmakingoutthemeaningofthestructureoftheseplants。I
hadnoticedin1838or1839thedimorphismofLinumflavum，andhadatfirstthoughtthatitwasmerelyacaseofunmeaningvariability。ButonexaminingthecommonspeciesofPrimulaIfoundthatthetwoformsweremuchtooregularandconstanttobethusviewed。Ithereforebecamealmostconvincedthatthecommoncowslipandprimrosewereonthehighroadtobecomedioecious;——thattheshortpistilintheoneform，andtheshortstamensintheotherformweretendingtowardsabortion。Theplantswerethereforesubjectedunderthispointofviewtotrial;butassoonastheflowerswithshortpistilsfertilisedwithpollenfromtheshortstamens，werefoundtoyieldmoreseedsthananyotherofthefourpossibleunions，theabortion—theorywasknockedonthehead。Aftersomeadditionalexperiment，itbecameevidentthatthetwoforms，thoughbothwereperfecthermaphrodites，borealmostthesamerelationtooneanotherasdothetwosexesofanordinaryanimal。WithLythrumwehavethestillmorewonderfulcaseofthreeformsstandinginasimilarrelationtooneanother。I
afterwardsfoundthattheoffspringfromtheunionoftwoplantsbelongingtothesameformspresentedacloseandcuriousanalogywithhybridsfromtheunionoftwodistinctspecies。
Intheautumnof1864Ifinishedalongpaperon’ClimbingPlants，’andsentittotheLinneanSociety。Thewritingofthispapercostmefourmonths;butIwassounwellwhenIreceivedtheproof—sheetsthatIwasforcedtoleavethemverybadlyandoftenobscurelyexpressed。Thepaperwaslittlenoticed，butwhenin1875itwascorrectedandpublishedasaseparatebookitsoldwell。IwasledtotakeupthissubjectbyreadingashortpaperbyAsaGray，publishedin1858。Hesentmeseeds，andonraisingsomeplantsIwassomuchfascinatedandperplexedbytherevolvingmovementsofthetendrilsandstems，whichmovementsarereallyverysimple，thoughappearingatfirstsightverycomplex，thatIprocuredvariousotherkindsofclimbingplants，andstudiedthewholesubject。I
wasallthemoreattractedtoit，fromnotbeingatallsatisfiedwiththeexplanationwhichHenslowgaveusinhislectures，abouttwiningplants，namely，thattheyhadanaturaltendencytogrowupinaspire。Thisexplanationprovedquiteerroneous。SomeoftheadaptationsdisplayedbyClimbingPlantsareasbeautifulasthoseofOrchidsforensuringcross—
fertilisation。
My’VariationofAnimalsandPlantsunderDomestication’wasbegun，asalreadystated，inthebeginningof1860，butwasnotpublisheduntilthebeginningof1868。Itwasabigbook，andcostmefouryearsandtwomonths’hardlabour。Itgivesallmyobservationsandanimmensenumberoffactscollectedfromvarioussources，aboutourdomesticproductions。Inthesecondvolumethecausesandlawsofvariation，inheritance，etc。，arediscussedasfarasourpresentstateofknowledgepermits。TowardstheendoftheworkIgivemywell—abusedhypothesisofPangenesis。Anunverifiedhypothesisisoflittleornovalue;butifanyoneshouldhereafterbeledtomakeobservationsbywhichsomesuchhypothesiscouldbeestablished，Ishallhavedonegoodservice，asanastonishingnumberofisolatedfactscanbethusconnectedtogetherandrenderedintelligible。
In1875asecondandlargelycorrectededition，whichcostmeagooddealoflabour，wasbroughtout。
My’DescentofMan’waspublishedinFebruary，1871。AssoonasIhadbecome，intheyear1837or1838，convincedthatspeciesweremutableproductions，Icouldnotavoidthebeliefthatmanmustcomeunderthesamelaw。AccordinglyIcollectednotesonthesubjectformyownsatisfaction，andnotforalongtimewithanyintentionofpublishing。Althoughinthe’OriginofSpecies’thederivationofanyparticularspeciesisneverdiscussed，yetIthoughtitbest，inorderthatnohonourablemanshouldaccusemeofconcealingmyviews，toaddthatbythework"lightwouldbethrownontheoriginofmanandhishistory。"Itwouldhavebeenuselessandinjurioustothesuccessofthebooktohaveparaded，withoutgivinganyevidence，myconvictionwithrespecttohisorigin。
ButwhenIfoundthatmanynaturalistsfullyacceptedthedoctrineoftheevolutionofspecies，itseemedtomeadvisabletoworkupsuchnotesasI
possessed，andtopublishaspecialtreatiseontheoriginofman。Iwasthemoregladtodoso，asitgavemeanopportunityoffullydiscussingsexualselection——asubjectwhichhadalwaysgreatlyinterestedme。Thissubject，andthatofthevariationofourdomesticproductions，togetherwiththecausesandlawsofvariation，inheritance，andtheintercrossingofplants，arethesolesubjectswhichIhavebeenabletowriteaboutinfull，soastouseallthematerialswhichIhavecollected。The’DescentofMan’tookmethreeyearstowrite，butthenasusualsomeofthistimewaslostbyillhealth，andsomewasconsumedbypreparingneweditionsandotherminorworks。Asecondandlargelycorrectededitionofthe’Descent’
appearedin1874。
Mybookonthe’ExpressionoftheEmotionsinMenandAnimals’waspublishedintheautumnof1872。Ihadintendedtogiveonlyachapteronthesubjectinthe’DescentofMan，’butassoonasIbegantoputmynotestogether，Isawthatitwouldrequireaseparatetreatise。
MyfirstchildwasbornonDecember27th，1839，andIatoncecommencedtomakenotesonthefirstdawnofthevariousexpressionswhichheexhibited，forIfeltconvinced，evenatthisearlyperiod，thatthemostcomplexandfineshadesofexpressionmustallhavehadagradualandnaturalorigin。
Duringthesummerofthefollowingyear，1840，IreadSirC。Bell’sadmirableworkonexpression，andthisgreatlyincreasedtheinterestwhichIfeltinthesubject，thoughIcouldnotatallagreewithhisbeliefthatvariousmuscleshadbeenspeciallycreatedforthesakeofexpression。
>FromthistimeforwardIoccasionallyattendedtothesubject，bothwithrespecttomanandourdomesticatedanimals。Mybooksoldlargely;5267
copieshavingbeendisposedofonthedayofpublication。
Inthesummerof1860IwasidlingandrestingnearHartfield，wheretwospeciesofDroseraabound;andInoticedthatnumerousinsectshadbeenentrappedbytheleaves。Icarriedhomesomeplants，andongivingtheminsectssawthemovementsofthetentacles，andthismademethinkitprobablethattheinsectswerecaughtforsomespecialpurpose。
Fortunatelyacrucialtestoccurredtome，thatofplacingalargenumberofleavesinvariousnitrogenousandnon—nitrogenousfluidsofequaldensity;andassoonasIfoundthattheformeraloneexcitedenergeticmovements，itwasobviousthatherewasafinenewfieldforinvestigation。
Duringsubsequentyears，wheneverIhadleisure，Ipursuedmyexperiments，andmybookon’InsectivorousPlants’waspublishedinJuly1875——thatis，sixteenyearsaftermyfirstobservations。Thedelayinthiscase，aswithallmyotherbooks，hasbeenagreatadvantagetome;foramanafteralongintervalcancriticisehisownwork，almostaswellasifitwerethatofanotherperson。Thefactthataplantshouldsecrete，whenproperlyexcited，afluidcontaininganacidandferment，closelyanalogoustothedigestivefluidofananimal，wascertainlyaremarkablediscovery。
Duringthisautumnof1876Ishallpublishonthe’EffectsofCrossandSelf—FertilisationintheVegetableKingdom。’Thisbookwillformacomplementtothatonthe’FertilisationofOrchids，’inwhichIshowedhowperfectwerethemeansforcross—fertilisation，andhereIshallshowhowimportantaretheresults。Iwasledtomake，duringelevenyears，thenumerousexperimentsrecordedinthisvolume，byamereaccidentalobservation;andindeeditrequiredtheaccidenttoberepeatedbeforemyattentionwasthoroughlyarousedtotheremarkablefactthatseedlingsofself—fertilisedparentageareinferior，eveninthefirstgeneration，inheightandvigourtoseedlingsofcross—fertilisedparentage。IhopealsotorepublisharevisededitionofmybookonOrchids，andhereaftermypapersondimorphicandtrimorphicplants，togetherwithsomeadditionalobservationsonalliedpointswhichIneverhavehadtimetoarrange。Mystrengthwillthenprobablybeexhausted，andIshallbereadytoexclaim"Nuncdimittis。"
WRITTENMAY1ST，1881。
’TheEffectsofCrossandSelf—Fertilisation’waspublishedintheautumnof1876;andtheresultstherearrivedatexplain，asIbelieve，theendlessandwonderfulcontrivancesforthetransportalofpollenfromoneplanttoanotherofthesamespecies。Inowbelieve，however，chieflyfromtheobservationsofHermannMuller，thatIoughttohaveinsistedmorestronglythanIdidonthemanyadaptationsforself—fertilisation;thoughIwaswellawareofmanysuchadaptations。Amuchenlargededitionofmy’FertilisationofOrchids’waspublishedin1877。
Inthissameyear’TheDifferentFormsofFlowers，etc。，’appeared，andin1880asecondedition。ThisbookconsistschieflyoftheseveralpapersonHeterostyledflowersoriginallypublishedbytheLinneanSociety，corrected，withmuchnewmatteradded，togetherwithobservationsonsomeothercasesinwhichthesameplantbearstwokindsofflowers。Asbeforeremarked，nolittlediscoveryofmineevergavemesomuchpleasureasthemakingoutthemeaningofheterostyledflowers。Theresultsofcrossingsuchflowersinanillegitimatemanner，Ibelievetobeveryimportant，asbearingonthesterilityofhybrids;althoughtheseresultshavebeennoticedbyonlyafewpersons。
In1879，IhadatranslationofDr。ErnstKrause’s’LifeofErasmusDarwin’
published，andIaddedasketchofhischaracterandhabitsfrommaterialinmypossession。Manypersonshavebeenmuchinterestedbythislittlelife，andIamsurprisedthatonly800or900copiesweresold。
In1880Ipublished，with[myson]Frank’sassistance，our’PowerofMovementinPlants。’Thiswasatoughpieceofwork。Thebookbearssomewhatthesamerelationtomylittlebookon’ClimbingPlants，’which’Cross—Fertilisation’didtothe’FertilisationofOrchids;’forinaccordancewiththeprincipleofevolutionitwasimpossibletoaccountforclimbingplantshavingbeendevelopedinsomanywidelydifferentgroupsunlessallkindsofplantspossesssomeslightpowerofmovementofananalogouskind。ThisIprovedtobethecase;andIwasfurtherledtoaratherwidegeneralisation，viz。thatthegreatandimportantclassesofmovements，excitedbylight，theattractionofgravity，etc。，areallmodifiedformsofthefundamentalmovementofcircumnutation。Ithasalwayspleasedmetoexaltplantsinthescaleoforganisedbeings;andI
thereforefeltanespecialpleasureinshowinghowmanyandwhatadmirablywelladaptedmovementsthetipofarootpossesses。
Ihavenow（May1，1881）senttotheprinterstheMS。ofalittlebookon’TheFormationofVegetableMould，throughtheActionofWorms。’Thisisasubjectofbutsmallimportance;andIknownotwhetheritwillinterestanyreaders（BetweenNovember1881andFebruary1884，8500copieshavebeensold。），butithasinterestedme。ItisthecompletionofashortpaperreadbeforetheGeologicalSocietymorethanfortyyearsago，andhasrevivedoldgeologicalthoughts。
IhavenowmentionedallthebookswhichIhavepublished，andthesehavebeenthemilestonesinmylife，sothatlittleremainstobesaid。Iamnotconsciousofanychangeinmymindduringthelastthirtyyears，exceptinginonepointpresentlytobementioned;nor，indeed，couldanychangehavebeenexpectedunlessoneofgeneraldeterioration。Butmyfatherlivedtohiseighty—thirdyearwithhismindaslivelyaseveritwas，andallhisfacultiesundimmed;andIhopethatImaydiebeforemymindfailstoasensibleextent。IthinkthatIhavebecomealittlemoreskilfulinguessingrightexplanationsandindevisingexperimentaltests;
butthismayprobablybetheresultofmerepractice，andofalargerstoreofknowledge。Ihaveasmuchdifficultyaseverinexpressingmyselfclearlyandconcisely;andthisdifficultyhascausedmeaverygreatlossoftime;butithashadthecompensatingadvantageofforcingmetothinklongandintentlyabouteverysentence，andthusIhavebeenledtoseeerrorsinreasoningandinmyownobservationsorthoseofothers。
Thereseemstobeasortoffatalityinmymindleadingmetoputatfirstmystatementorpropositioninawrongorawkwardform。FormerlyIusedtothinkaboutmysentencesbeforewritingthemdown;butforseveralyearsI
havefoundthatitsavestimetoscribbleinavilehandwholepagesasquicklyasIpossiblycan，contractinghalfthewords;andthencorrectdeliberately。SentencesthusscribbleddownareoftenbetteronesthanI
couldhavewrittendeliberately。
Havingsaidthusmuchaboutmymannerofwriting，IwilladdthatwithmylargebooksIspendagooddealoftimeoverthegeneralarrangementofthematter。Ifirstmaketherudestoutlineintwoorthreepages，andthenalargeroneinseveralpages，afewwordsoronewordstandingforawholediscussionorseriesoffacts。EachoneoftheseheadingsisagainenlargedandoftentransferredbeforeIbegintowriteinextenso。Asinseveralofmybooksfactsobservedbyothershavebeenveryextensivelyused，andasIhavealwayshadseveralquitedistinctsubjectsinhandatthesametime，ImaymentionthatIkeepfromthirtytofortylargeportfolios，incabinetswithlabelledshelves，intowhichIcanatonceputadetachedreferenceormemorandum。Ihaveboughtmanybooks，andattheirendsImakeanindexofallthefactsthatconcernmywork;or，ifthebookisnotmyown，writeoutaseparateabstract，andofsuchabstractsIhavealargedrawerfull。BeforebeginningonanysubjectIlooktoalltheshortindexesandmakeageneralandclassifiedindex，andbytakingtheoneormoreproperportfoliosIhavealltheinformationcollectedduringmylifereadyforuse。
Ihavesaidthatinonerespectmymindhaschangedduringthelasttwentyorthirtyyears。Uptotheageofthirty，orbeyondit，poetryofmanykinds，suchastheworksofMilton，Gray，Byron，Wordsworth，Coleridge，andShelley，gavemegreatpleasure，andevenasaschoolboyItookintensedelightinShakespeare，especiallyinthehistoricalplays。Ihavealsosaidthatformerlypicturesgavemeconsiderable，andmusicverygreatdelight。ButnowformanyyearsIcannotenduretoreadalineofpoetry:
IhavetriedlatelytoreadShakespeare，andfounditsointolerablydullthatitnauseatedme。Ihavealsoalmostlostmytasteforpicturesormusic。MusicgenerallysetsmethinkingtooenergeticallyonwhatIhavebeenatworkon，insteadofgivingmepleasure。Iretainsometasteforfinescenery，butitdoesnotcausemetheexquisitedelightwhichitformerlydid。Ontheotherhand，novelswhichareworksoftheimagination，thoughnotofaveryhighorder，havebeenforyearsawonderfulreliefandpleasuretome，andIoftenblessallnovelists。A
surprisingnumberhavebeenreadaloudtome，andIlikeallifmoderatelygood，andiftheydonotendunhappily——againstwhichalawoughttobepassed。Anovel，accordingtomytaste，doesnotcomeintothefirstclassunlessitcontainssomepersonwhomonecanthoroughlylove，andifaprettywomanallthebetter。
Thiscuriousandlamentablelossofthehigheraesthetictastesisalltheodder，asbooksonhistory，biographies，andtravels（independentlyofanyscientificfactswhichtheymaycontain），andessaysonallsortsofsubjectsinterestmeasmuchasevertheydid。Mymindseemstohavebecomeakindofmachineforgrindinggenerallawsoutoflargecollectionsoffacts，butwhythisshouldhavecausedtheatrophyofthatpartofthebrainalone，onwhichthehighertastesdepend，Icannotconceive。Amanwithamindmorehighlyorganisedorbetterconstitutedthanmine，wouldnot，Isuppose，havethussuffered;andifIhadtolivemylifeagain，I
wouldhavemadearuletoreadsomepoetryandlistentosomemusicatleastonceeveryweek;forperhapsthepartsofmybrainnowatrophiedwouldthushavebeenkeptactivethroughuse。Thelossofthesetastesisalossofhappiness，andmaypossiblybeinjurioustotheintellect，andmoreprobablytothemoralcharacter，byenfeeblingtheemotionalpartofournature。
MybookshavesoldlargelyinEngland，havebeentranslatedintomanylanguages，andpassedthroughseveraleditionsinforeigncountries。I
havehearditsaidthatthesuccessofaworkabroadisthebesttestofitsenduringvalue。Idoubtwhetherthisisatalltrustworthy;butjudgedbythisstandardmynameoughttolastforafewyears。Thereforeitmaybeworthwhiletotrytoanalysethementalqualitiesandtheconditionsonwhichmysuccesshasdepended;thoughIamawarethatnomancandothiscorrectly。
Ihavenogreatquicknessofapprehensionorwitwhichissoremarkableinsomeclevermen，forinstance，Huxley。Iamthereforeapoorcritic:apaperorbook，whenfirstread，generallyexcitesmyadmiration，anditisonlyafterconsiderablereflectionthatIperceivetheweakpoints。Mypowertofollowalongandpurelyabstracttrainofthoughtisverylimited;andthereforeIcouldneverhavesucceededwithmetaphysicsormathematics。Mymemoryisextensive，yethazy:itsufficestomakemecautiousbyvaguelytellingmethatIhaveobservedorreadsomethingopposedtotheconclusionwhichIamdrawing，orontheotherhandinfavourofit;andafteratimeIcangenerallyrecollectwheretosearchformyauthority。Sopoorinonesenseismymemory，thatIhaveneverbeenabletorememberformorethanafewdaysasingledateoralineofpoetry。
Someofmycriticshavesaid，"Oh，heisagoodobserver，buthehasnopowerofreasoning！"Idonotthinkthatthiscanbetrue，forthe’OriginofSpecies’isonelongargumentfromthebeginningtotheend，andithasconvincednotafewablemen。Noonecouldhavewrittenitwithouthavingsomepowerofreasoning。Ihaveafairshareofinvention，andofcommonsenseorjudgment，suchaseveryfairlysuccessfullawyerordoctormusthave，butnot，Ibelieve，inanyhigherdegree。
Onthefavourablesideofthebalance，IthinkthatIamsuperiortothecommonrunofmeninnoticingthingswhicheasilyescapeattention，andinobservingthemcarefully。Myindustryhasbeennearlyasgreatasitcouldhavebeenintheobservationandcollectionoffacts。Whatisfarmoreimportant，myloveofnaturalsciencehasbeensteadyandardent。