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On December 27, 1831, the Beagle set sail from Plymouth, England. There was a special passenger on the ship. He was Charles Darwin, 22.

Charles Darwin was a young man at that time, and he was lucky to get the chance to travel around the world, but it was this accident that tempered Darwin from a fledgling young man to a mature naturalist. This trip not only changed Darwin's life, but also completely changed people's view of the world. It was a great voyage.

The Beagle was ordered by the British government to make a survey of some islands off the coast of South America and the Pacific Ocean. Captain Robert Fitzroy was looking for an experienced naturalist to accompany him. He asked another captain, Francis Beufort, to help him find it. Beaumfort found Peacock in Cambridge. The professor was the best candidate, but he couldn't get away at that time. Peacock asked another professor in Cambridge to replace him, and this professor was Hanslow, who often led Darwin's field biological expedition. Professor Hanslow introduced Darwin to Captain Fitzroy. Chance plus accident, after a big turn, luck finally came to Darwin.

Darwin was so excited that his yearning for natural history had been hidden in his heart for a long time, but this trip was opposed by Darwin's father. The father decided that his son would return empty-handed, not only wasting years of youth, but also failing to live up to his expectation that his son would become a theologian. In this way, Darwin, full of excitement and hope, set sail with geologist Lyle's newly published book "the principles of Geology" and his father's dissatisfaction and worry.

In South America, they first came to the rainforests of Brazil. It is full of exotic scenery, and it is a paradise for birds, beasts, insects and plants, which opened Darwin's eyes. Then they went south to Rio de Janeiro, through Buenos Aires, to Tierra del Fuego and Horn Island. Whenever the Beagle stopped for survey, Darwin went ashore to inspect his artifacts. Sometimes stay in one place for several days, sometimes for weeks. In his frenzied observation and collection, Darwin often forgot to rest and eat, and even lost track of time for hours on end.

During the survey of the Beagle in Tierra del Fuego in 1833, this picture was painted by boat painter Conrad Martans without a camera, and Darwin could only make specimens of animals or plants collected along the way. Every time he went ashore, he returned with a full load, and the deck was filled with animal carcasses, bones and fossil fragments he had brought back. Some people dislike it, others laugh at it, wondering why the young man is interested in these "dirty things". Darwin was a man who didn't like to argue with others. he didn't explain, but was busy by himself. When others rest or entertain in the evening, he is busy writing diaries, making specimens, registering, numbering, sorting them into boxes, and then looking for opportunities to ask people to bring specimens and materials back to China.

In South America, he inspected ancient caves, collected many ancient fossils and found tombs containing giant beasts; while northward along the west coast of South America, on a peak thousands of meters above sea level in the Andes, he found a large number of shell fossils, indicating that it was once an ocean; when the ship was moored in Chile, he personally experienced a volcanic eruption Soon after, there was another major earthquake in the town of Concepcion, witnessing the devastating consequences of the earthquake. From volcanoes, earthquakes, dead beasts and fossilized shells on the top of the mountain, he realized the devastating consequences of the power of nature on ecology and landforms.

On September 15, 1835, the Berger came to the Galapagos Islands. It turned out to be the most crucial stop in Darwin's global expedition. If Darwin personally experienced the role of natural forces in his South American expedition, the Galapagos expedition focused Darwin's attention on "species evolution". The Galapagos Islands is a "treasure trove of species".

Galapagos Islands the Galapagos Islands, located in the Pacific Ocean 1000 kilometers west of Ecuador, are made up of 14 small islands near the equator. In this almost uninhabited volcanic archipelago, the Beagle explored for a month. Darwin was fascinated by this magical island. Compared with other areas, the creatures here, such as birds, reptiles, fish, shellfish, insects and flowers, have their own extraordinary features. The 15 species of fish and 16 species of terrestrial shellfish he collected are new species that cannot be seen elsewhere. He noticed the strange behavior of iguanas and sea lizards, observed the living habits of various worms, collected the forms of birds, and analyzed the differences between them.

He made an important discovery among the finches with the largest population. Although they both belong to finches and live in very similar environments, they are slightly different from each other in appearance. He found that there are 13 species of birds here, their shapes are basically similar, but the length and curvature of beaks are different from each other. Darwin wondered whether this had anything to do with the differences in their respective foods, such as seeds, caterpillars or insects. If so, it is not difficult to understand the reasons for the differences between species. The variety of animals living in the same area challenged the traditional concept of "species invariance" or "species stability". In Darwin's mind, the idea of "species gradual change" gradually emerged.

Darwin also compared the species here with those found in South America. For example, an iguana (iguana) that lives more than a meter long off the coast belongs to a different species from the South American continent, and the frigate birds here are also different from the South American continental pelicans; he found that many of the birds here are supposed to be the same species as the mainland birds, but the birds fly farther, in addition to a variety of reptiles that can withstand chronic hunger. As a result, Darwin gradually established the concept of "survival of the fittest" of species.

The sea turtles in the Galapagos Islands are the most famous. "Galapagos" means "Sea Turtle Island" in Spanish. The turtles here are the most mysterious animals, and the tortoise weighing more than 100 kilograms surprised Darwin and his party.

Darwin the tortoise found a path where turtles came from a long way to drink. He crouched on the path, carefully observing all kinds of sea turtles. On one occasion, Nicholas Lawson, the deputy governor here, told him that the turtles on different islands were different from each other, that they had different markings, different bodies, and even tasted differently. The words of the Deputy Governor suddenly flashed an important question in Darwin's mind. How did these differences between the turtles come about? If these turtles and birds were created by God, why are the turtles and birds on each island different from each other? Is there any other explanation for the difference between their species?

In this way, Darwin was inspired by the creatures of the Galapagos Islands and from Lyle's book. During the investigation and thinking of this voyage, an evolutionary theory that overturned the traditional belief gradually matured, which laid the foundation for the immortal masterpiece Origin of species.

Five years after the five-year round-the-ball voyage of the Berger, on October 2, 1836, Darwin completed his expedition, and when the Beagle landed at an English port, he was surprised to find that many people in the country already knew about his work. It turned out that the specimens, materials and letters sent back in advance had spread widely, and his work shocked the scientific community, and he became a naturalist of public attention. even the famous geologist Charles Lyle invited him to dinner, and the prestigious geological society invited him to join, and he soon became the honorary secretary of the society.

The work when he came back was so heavy that Darwin needed to check and collect specimens, classify them, sort them out, and record the results. Through this work, he edited a set of five series of materials, described the zoological research during the voyage, and compiled a detailed nautical record. In 1839, shortly after his new marriage, his Voyage Expedition Log of the Beagle was published, and his rich experience surpassed that of all naturalists at that time. This book not only made him famous, but also laid the foundation for his life. The voyage changed Darwin's life and the world.

Source: 365 days in the History of Science

Author: Wei Fengwen and Wu Yi

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The copyright belongs to the original author

Editor: Zhang Runxin

This article is from the official account of Wechat: Origin Reading (ID:tupydread), author: 365 days in the History of Science

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