Journal of Researches into the Geology and Natural History of the Various Countries visited by H. M. S. Beagle

About this book

A reprint of a classical work in the Cambridge Library Collection.

Even before Charles Darwin changed the world with his theory of natural selection, he was recognised as an eminent scientist and natural historian. Published in 1840, his Journal of Researches into the Geology and Natural History of the Various Countries Visited by H.M.S. Beagle reveals him as a writer of formidable intelligence and a keen observer of natural and human life. Darwin's journal encompasses every observable detail of the animals, birds and plants he encountered on the five-year voyage. It includes minute descriptions and even sketches of the movements and habits of hitherto unfamiliar species. Accompanying the entries are his own conclusions, analyses and classificatory notes that demonstrate his skill and talent as a naturalist. Darwin's entries on natural phenomena are interspersed with anecdotes of the indigenous peoples he encountered, transforming his journal from an impersonal scientific record to a book of true human interest.

Contents

Preface

1. Porto Praya
2. Rio de Janeiro
3. Monte Video
4. Rio Negro
5. Bahia Blanca
6. Set out for Buenos Ayres
7. Excursion to St. Fe
8. Monte Video – Excursion to Colonia del Sacramiento
9. Rio Plata
10. Santa Cruz
11. Tierra del Fuego, first arrival
12. Falkland Islands
13. Strait of Magellan
14. Valparaiso
15. Chiloe
16. San Carlos, Chiloe
17. Valparaiso – Passage of Andes by Portillo pass
18. Bell mountain
19. Galapagos Islands volcanic
20. Tahiti
21. Sydney
22. Keeling Island
23. Mauritius, beautiful appearance of

Addenda
Index

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