HOW DID CHARLES DARWIN FIND OUT ABOUT NATURAL SELECTION?
Charles Darwin sailed from Plymouth on the 27 December 1831 on a journey that was to take him many thousands of miles. He sailed in a ship called the Beagle. The Beagle was not a big ship, it was only about 28 metres long and had to be home to 74 people for the whole voyage. The Beagle at Sydney Harbour, 1841. Watercolour by Owen Stanley. Illustration in Darwin and the Beagle by Alan Moorehead (1969) Darwin took with him a copy of the bible and books by Milton, Humboldt as well as a copy of Lyell’s first volume on Principles Of Geology. He also took binoculars, a geological magnifying glass and jars of spirit for preserving specimens. For many of the early weeks at sea, Darwin was extremely sea-sick and could eat nothing but raisins. When they landed at Cape Verde he began to feel better, as he was able to go ashore and start noting, collecting, recording and observing the bird life, the natives, the plants and the landscape. Darwin’s Journey Their voyage continued down the Atlantic co
