Many smart people would immediately answer "finches" - although in fact they were mockingbirds.

The great passion of the young Charles Darwin (1809-1882), by education Protestant priest, was to kill game. Back in Cambridge, during his student years, with the beginning of the hunting season, his hands began to shake with excitement - he could hardly load his gun. And although Charles's specialty was (to please his father) medicine and theology, he often skipped lectures, considering them "cold hours without breakfast, spent in conversations about the healing properties of rhubarb."

Darwin was addicted amateur biologist and a fossil hunter. He dreamed of visiting the tropics and signed up as a "gentleman naturalist" in the second round-the-world research expedition (1831 - 1836) on a ship Royal Navy"Beagle". The trip, by the way, almost fell through: the captain of the Beagle was fond of physiognomy and considered that Darwin's nose spoke of laziness. Darwin later remarked, "I think he was pleased that my nose had lied to him."

It is believed that during the trip, Darwin noticed that on different islands of the Galapagos archipelago, finches have very noticeable differences in the shape of their beak, and allegedly it was this observation that led Darwin to the idea that each species, adapting to its own specific habitat, evolved from one common ancestor. Indeed, Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection was born on board the Beagle - only it has nothing to do with finches. And although Darwin did collect a collection of Galapagos finches, they did not arouse much interest in him for several more years. He was not an ornithologist and had no idea that his finches belonged to different species. But even if he knew about it, there was no sense in it: Darwin did not mark the birds at the place of capture. In his diaries, he mentions finches in passing and does not say a word about them in his revolutionary work On the Origin of Species (1859).

Quite another matter - mockingbirds. Intrigued by the differences between the populations on the two neighboring islands, Darwin studied every bird he saw with great care. Judging by the entries in his journal, he gradually realized that species are not constant over time. It was from this insight that all his subsequent theories of evolution grew.

Well, since finches are a perfect example of Darwinian theories in action, they were later credited with the role of inspirational birds. One of the founders of this idea was the ethologist David Lack (1910-1973), whose book Darwin's Finches (1947) cemented it (and the term itself) in the minds of the public.

Darwin's book about the voyage on the Beagle became an instant bestseller - and made a name for the captain. Robert FitzRoy (1805-1865) was promoted to vice admiral and appointed governor-general of New Zealand. He is also the progenitor of weather forecasting - one of the maritime areas in the daily "Shipping Forecast" of BBC radio is named after him.

Finches, as we know, also became famous. Fifteen species of Galapagos finches (Geospizinae) are still called " Darwin's finches"- although, as it turned out, these are not finches at all, but birds of a completely different kind, and they are called tanagers.

Remains open question- how could an amateur biologist with the education of a Protestant priest impose on the world the theory of the origin of man from monkeys? Maybe it was someone who needed that everyone thought so, someone who has a lot of money and power?

If you want to know the past, are not indifferent to antiques, if you are attracted by the spirit of retro, then Welcome to the RETROBAZAR portal! RETROBAZAR is a project created specifically for people who are fond of collecting different direction. Our goal is to organize communication between like-minded people from all over the world, as well as help buy, sell or exchange interesting items for the collection, demonstrate items from personal collections by creating virtual exhibitions and galleries. We invite to RETROBAZAR both experienced collectors and beginners, both professionals who consider antiques as earnings, and true lovers of antiquity. We have made the functionality of the RETROBAZAR portal simple, accessible and free for every registered user or guest. Now collectors will always be aware of events taking place in the world of antiques. We will provide interesting information about regional exhibitions, clubs, markets, retro shops dedicated to collecting. RETROBAZAR will be useful for those who are interested in art and painting, literature and history. To this end, our information base is regularly updated. interesting facts and news from the life of collectors. Staying with us, you will always be aware of how the antiques of Ukraine and other countries live. At your service are unlimited categories of collectibles - bonistics, numismatics, cars, military archeology or something else - which can be replenished by any user, offering their personal ones. Another of our goals is to create a unique base of people united by the same interests from all over the world. This will allow you to establish communication and cooperation with collectors from different parts of the world, your country, and possibly your city. The versatility of the RETROBAZAR portal also lies in the fact that you can organize sales of various types on it: from ordinary auctions to large-scale auctions. Each registered user, wishing to sell or buy any antiques, be it old dresses, old books, stamps, coins, samovar, cars, motorcycles or something else, can use the services of the portal. To implement all the tasks, RETROBAZAR offers a range of tools that allow you to spend your leisure time in an interesting and useful way: forum, bulletin board, internal (private) mail, personal page, feedback from the portal administration, multilingual mode. Already now RETROBAZAR is popular among collectors, replenishing with new users. We hope that the time spent with us will be interesting and useful for you!

10 - Galapagos Islands, 11 - Tahiti, 12 - New Zealand, 13 - Sydney, 14 - Hobart, 15 - King George's Bay, 16 - Cocos Islands, 17 - Mauritius, 18 - Cape Town, 19 - Bahia, 20 - Azores

Achievements

• the material collected by Darwin during his travels served as the basis for 9 books, including the famous On the Origin of Species.
• mapping the precise coastlines of southern South America

Discoveries

• after studying and comparing the data obtained during the journey, Darwin formulated the evolutionary doctrine

Travel background

The composition of the expedition

Travel

Atlantic Ocean

Darwin surveyed the island, described its geology and topography:

The naturalist conducted research on local birds and animals. Together with two officers, he first made an excursion to the village of Ribeira Grande in the valley of St. Martin, where they examined the ruins of the fortress and the cathedral and the church, where there were graves of local governors of the XV-XVI centuries. Later, Darwin made a trip to the villages San Domingos(in the center of the island) and Fuentes, where he made a description of local birds. On the island of Santiago, Darwin examined the dust that fell in the morning after a fog and determined that it consisted of ciliates with silicon shells and silicon plant tissue. Before leaving, he made observations of local marine animals, in particular octopuses.

On February 8, the expedition left the islands and reached the rocks of São Paulo on February 16, where they lay down in a drift. Darwin observed local birds nesting on the rocks and other animals. Having made a description and observations of rocks, he came to the conclusion that they were formed due to coral reefs (this observation gave rise to the book "The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs"). On February 17, the expedition crossed the equator.

Brazil

On February 20, the expedition arrived at the volcanic island of Fernando de Noronha, where Darwin made a description of the flora and fauna and explored the geology. A week later, on February 28, they arrived in the city of Bahia, now the state of Bahia, the city of Salvador, Brazil. Darwin was very captured by the nature of the surrounding lands. He examined the vast areas around the city, describing the geology and relief. In particular, he continued the studies of syenite rocks begun by Humboldt during his trip to South America, which were “covered with a black substance as if polished with graphite”. Darwin could not help but inspect the local animals and plants. Made significant observations of urchin fish Diodon antennatus and determined that this small fish, when it enters the stomach of a shark, can eat through its walls and even the side of a predatory animal, while killing it. On March 18, the Beagle set sail from Bahia, continuing its round-the-world voyage.

During his stay in a cottage on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, Darwin made observations of local animals: tree frogs, insects (including fireflies Lampyridae), marine animals (jellyfish, nereids, hydroid genus Clytia, pyrosomes). Several times he made small excursions around the surrounding lands, visited the local botanical garden, made a trip to the Gavi mountains, where he described various insects: beetles, butterflies, larvae, spiders.

Uruguay

On July 5, 1832, the ship left the harbor of Rio de Janeiro and headed south towards La Plata. On July 26, the Beagle anchored in the port of Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. For the next two years, the expedition conducted cartographic surveys off the eastern and southern coasts of South America south of La Plata. For the first 10 weeks, Darwin lived in Maldonado, east of Montevideo. During this time, he collected a large collection of mammals, birds (80 species) and reptiles (including 9 species of snakes). The scientist conducted a series of excursions around the area: to the Polanco River, which is 70 miles to the north, to the village of Las Minas, to the mountainous area of ​​the Sierra de las Animas and the village of Pan de Azucar. The naturalist described and studied various animals, in particular Darwin's rhea, dolphins, named after the captain of the Beagle Delphinus fitzroyi, reindeer Cervus campestris, many rodents (in particular, the largest modern rodent - the capybara). After a visit to Uruguay, the entire Beagle expedition sailed south to the Tierra del Fuego archipelago.

Tierra del Fuego

On December 17, 1832, the expedition reached Tierra del Fuego. Rounding Cape San Diego, the ship entered Lemaire Strait and anchored in Good Success Bay. The members of the expedition were met by the natives - Fuegians. On board the ship were also Fuegians, whom Captain Fitzroy had taken on a previous voyage in 1826-1830 on the ships Adventure and Beagle, and now wanted to return to their homeland. From the next day, Darwin began to explore the island, described it, explored the beech forests. On December 21, the Beagle weighed anchor and, sailing past the Barnevelt Islands and Cape Obmana, reached Cape Horn, the most southern point South America. Due to bad weather, the expedition stayed here for 6 days and only on December 30 moved west. Due to strong storms, it was difficult to get to the islands, so on January 15, 1833, the captain left the ship and on January 24, on 4 boats, he was able to get to Tierra del Fuego. The return to the Beagle took place through the strait, later named after the ship, at the same time a survey of the area was carried out. During his entire stay on the islands, Darwin made a number of observations of Fuegians that were interesting for science, described their appearance, behavior and history.

On April 28, 1833, the Beagle returned to Maldonado. The expedition returned to Tierra del Fuego for the second time on February 2, 1834 and stayed here until March 5.

La Plata

On July 24, 1833, the Beagle sailed from Maldonado and on August 3 set out on a roadstead against the mouth of the Rio Negro. Here is how Charles Darwin describes this place:

From the beginning of the race, Darwin examined and described the surrounding lands, studied their geology, visited the village of Carmen de Patagones up the river, where there were buildings destroyed during the attacks of the Indians. This interested him, and from the inhabitants who remained alive, he began to collect information about this attack and the Indians. Also, his attention was attracted by the salt lakes of Salines, 28 km from the settlement. He studied their flora and fauna, described several species of algae and crustaceans that lived there. On August 10, Darwin decided to make an excursion trip on horseback to the city of Bahia Blanca, located between Buenos Aires and the mouth of the Rio Negro. During the excursion, the scientist collected a lot of information about local animals and plants, in particular about guanaco, agouti Cavia patagonica, owl Athene cunicularia.

On August 24, the Beagle arrived at Bahia Blanca and a week later sailed north to La Plata. Darwin stayed on land and decided to ride this way to Buenos Aires on horseback. The dear scientist described the surrounding territories, their topography, flora and fauna, including Darwin's South American rhea and many other bird species. In Punta Alta, he explored a tectonic section with numerous remains of giant animals and found several skeletons: Megatherium ( Megatherium), Megalonix ( Megalonyx), celidotherium ( Scelidotherium), milodon ( Mylodon darwinii), macrouchenia ( Macrauchenia), toxodon ( Toxodon darwinii). On the way to the capital of Argentina, Darwin crossed a mountain range Sierra de la Ventana and the Rio South, Rio Tapalguen and Rio Salado rivers. On September 20, he arrived in Buenos Aires, where he spent a week, and on September 27 he went northwest to the city of Santa Fe.

After Buenos Aires, on September 28, Darwin arrived in the city of Lujan, then visited Areca. In the pampas, a naturalist observed native animals, in particular viscachas. On September 30, Darwin left for the Parana River, and on October 3 he arrived in Santa Fe. Due to a slight illness, he spent two days in bed. On October 5, the naturalist crossed the Parana to Santa Fe Bajada, where he stayed for 5 days. Here Darwin began excavating the ancient remains of giant animals: a glyptodon similar to an armadillo ( Glyptodon clavipes) and an extinct horse ( Equus curvidens). On October 12, due to illness, the scientist was forced to sail along the Parana River back to Buenos Aires, where he arrived on October 20, but from the mouth of the river to the city, for the sake of speed, he traveled this path on horseback. Upon arrival, Darwin was initially not wanted to be allowed into Buenos Aires due to a coup staged by supporters of General Rosas. Thanks to friendship with the general, the scientist was still allowed through.

Uruguay

After a delay of two weeks in Buenos Aires, Darwin set sail on a mail ship for Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. The Beagle was anchored there. Taking advantage of his delay, the scientist planned another excursion around the country. On November 14, he left for Colonia del Sacramento, a town on the north bank of La Plata, across from Buenos Aires. The move lasted for 3 days, and on November 17 Darwin was in place. Here he observed bulls of a very rare breed, which in Uruguay and Argentina are called nyata. They were very similar to the ruminants extinct in India - sivatherium, so the skull that the naturalist found was very valuable. On November 19, the excursion arrived in the city of Las Vecas, located at the mouth of the Uruguay River. From there they headed north to the city of Mercedes on the Rio Negro, a tributary of Uruguay. After staying there for several days, the tour returned back to Montevideo, but in a straight line. On the way, Darwin stopped at a ranch, where he purchased from the owner the skull of an extinct animal Toxodon. On November 28, the scientist arrived in Montevideo, from where on December 6, on the Beagle ship, sailed south to Patagonia.

Patagonia

Falkland Islands

On March 1, 1833 and March 16, 1834, the Beagle anchored in Barclay Bay, near East Falkland Island. It was on the second trip on the ship that Darwin was present. With two Argentines, the scientist made a short excursion around the island. During it, Darwin explored its geology and relief, described the poor world of flora and fauna. On the island, the naturalist met a herd of wild horses, brought here by the French in 1764, and herds of cows. Among the endemics, the Falkland fox and several bird species have been described: the common caracara ( caracara plancus), penguin Aptenodytes demersa, geese : Anas magellanica, Anas brachyptera and Anas antarctica. Darwin also observed "corallines" - marine coral-like animals (mainly hydroids and bryozoans), which he attributed to now obsolete genera. Flustra, Eschara, Cellaria and crisis. On April 6, the Beagle sailed west to the St. Croix River.

Santa Cruz

On April 13, the ship anchored at the mouth of the Santa Cruz River. Captain Fitzroy decided to go up the river as long as time allowed. It was very difficult to climb up the river against the current, so the ship remained in the bay, and the journey continued on three boats. It began on April 19 and lasted 3 weeks. On the way to the origins of Santa Cruz, Darwin described and explored the geology of Patagonia. On May 5, Captain Fitzroy decided to go back, having covered 270 km (the total length of the river is 365 km). On May 8, the expedition returned to the Beagle.

Chile

At the end of May 1834, the Beagle entered the Strait of Magellan from the east. At Cape Gregory, the expedition met the Patagonians - the people are quite tall. Darwin described them and their way of life, even wanted to take three Patagonians with him. On June 1, the expedition arrived in Goloda Bay, where the scientist described the relief of the surrounding shores, local flora and fauna. Among plants, Darwin explored local evergreen forests from beech, among animals - mouse-like rodents, tuco-tuco, seals and other animals, as well as birds. On June 8, the Beagle sailed further through the Strait of Magellan, but the last section of Fitzroy decided to pass the newly opened Magdalena Canal in a southwesterly direction. On June 10, the expedition entered the Pacific Ocean and on June 28 reached the island of Chiloé. From here began cartographic surveys of the western coast of South America from the Tres Montes Peninsula in the south to the city of Callao in the north, the Chiloe and Chonos archipelagos.

On July 23, the Beagle anchored in the port of the city of Valparaiso, Chile's main port. Here the expedition could observe Mount Aconcagua, the highest point in South America:

This irregular conical peak rises above Chimborazo; according to the measurements made by the officers on the Beagle, its height is at least 23,000 feet. In general, the Cordilleras that are viewed from here owe most of their beauty to the peculiarities of the local air. When the sun set in Pacific Ocean, it was wonderful to observe how clearly their strict outlines loomed and how varied and delicate their shades were at the same time.

On August 14, Darwin led an excursion on horseback to geologically explore the foothills of the Andes, which were not covered in snow. On August 15, the scientist visited the Quilliota Valley, on August 17 he climbed Mount La Campana, on August 19 he arrived in the town of Jajuel, where he stayed for a week. On August 26, Darwin made an excursion to the closed Guitron Valley, from where he got to the capital of Chile - Santiago. He stayed in this city for a week and on August 6 he arrived in Rancagua, on August 13 - in Rio Clara, from where he turned to the city of San Fernando. On August 27, the scientist went to the city of Valparaiso and, due to illness, stayed there until the end of October. During excursions in central Chile, Darwin made valuable scientific observations of the relief, geology and climate of the area. He paid less attention to the extinction of species.

On November 10, the Beagle sailed south for cartographic surveys and arrived in the city of San Carlos on November 21, main city islands of Chiloe. On November 24, two boats under the command of Suliven were sent to survey the east coast, the Beagle itself was surveying the western and southern coasts of the island, Darwin passed the island on horseback, first in the northern part, and on November 30 arrived east, where he met with the entire expedition. On December 1, the ship sailed for Lemuy Island, then to San Pedro Island. On December 10, the Beagle headed south and reached the Chonos Archipelago on December 13. Having stayed there until December 18, the ship turned south and on December 30 reached the Tres Montes Peninsula. January 7, 1835 the expedition returned to the Chonos archipelago, where they stayed for a week. Darwin was engaged in the description and study of the geology of the islands, while not excluding the study of flora and fauna. Many plants have been described that form forests on the islands: astelia (Astelia), donatia ( Donatia), myrtle ( Myrtus), crowberry ( Empetrum), rush ( Juncus), among animals - sea otter, nutria and capybara rodents, birds cheukau, petrels and pikas.

On January 15, the Beagle left the harbor of Low, in the north of the Chonos archipelago, and after 3 days anchored a second time in the bay of the port of San Carlos on the island of Chiloe. On January 19, the expedition observed the volcanic eruption of Osorno, which coincided with the eruption of Aconcagua and Coseguina. This interested Darwin very much, because the Koseguina volcano had not erupted for 26 years, and Aconcagua was very rarely active in general. Captain Fitzroy surveyed along the western coast of the island, and Darwin crossed it from the east in a meridional direction. Along the way, he visited Lake Cucao and an Indian settlement. On February 4, the Beagle sailed north from Chiloe, arriving at Valdivia on February 8. On February 11, Darwin had a short tour of the neighborhood, on February 20 he witnessed an earthquake, the strongest in this city in its entire history. On March 4, the expedition arrived at the port of Talcahuano of the city of Concepción, where only ruins remained after the earthquake. After staying here for 3 days, the ship sailed for Valparaiso, and on March 11, anchored in its port. Darwin departed for Santiago, from where he intended to conduct a campaign through the Andes to the Argentine city of Mendoza.

On March 18, the expedition set out towards the Portillo Pass. Dear Darwin kept records of his explorations of the geology of the surrounding mountains. On March 23, the scientist crossed the pass and began a steep descent east slope Andes. On March 27, the expedition reached the city of Mendoza, and on March 29 turned back, but already through the Uspallata Pass, which was located a little to the north. Darwin crossed the pass on April 1, reached the Inca Bridge on April 4, and arrived back in Santiago on April 10. A few days later he returned to Valparaiso, where he rendezvoused with the Beagle.

On April 27, Darwin organized a new expedition to the north of the country, namely along the route Valparaiso - Coquimbo - Huasco - Copiapo. It was at Copiapo that Captain Fitzroy was to pick him up and from there head north to the Galapagos Islands. At first, the path passed along the Pacific coast, but then turned deep into Chile, crossing the valleys of many rivers. On May 14, Darwin reached Coquimbo, where he described the geology of local terraces, built from the remains of ancient mollusks. On June 2, the expedition reached Huasco, where it passed through the desert plains and witnessed another earthquake, and on June 22, Copiapo. Since the Beagle had not yet arrived in port, Darwin made a short trip to the Andes, and returned on July 1. On July 4 a ship arrived and sailed the next day from Copiapo.

Peru

On July 12, the expedition arrived in the Peruvian city of Iquique, Darwin examined the surrounding lands. July 19 "Beagle" arrived in Callao, the main port of the country, located near the capital - Lima. Having made a tour of the surrounding area, Darwin first saw and described such a phenomenon as El Niño. After staying in Peru in early September, the expedition moved northwest to the Galapagos Islands on September 7th.

Galapagos Islands

From September 15 to October 20, the Beagle stood in the Galapagos Islands, conducting cartographic surveys here. Darwin explored the geology and biology of the islands. On September 17, he landed on Chatham Island (San Cristobal), where he described the local flora, in particular, he was interested in one shrub of the Euphorbia family. On September 23, Darwin visited Charles Island (Floreana). On September 29, the ship sailed near the largest island of Albemarle (Isabela) and got into a storm between it and Narborough Island (Fernandina). On October 8, the expedition arrived at James Island ( Santiago).

Having conducted numerous studies of the local flora and fauna, Darwin described it and collected a fairly large collection of animals and plants. From mammals he caught a mouse, from birds he collected 26 specimens, including caracara and scops. Darwin studied a diverse group of related birds common on the islands, which he called ground finches (Geospiza, family Thraupidae) (now often called Darwin's finches). Thanks to the observation of the diversity of these birds, Darwin first had the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe variability of species. Among endemic reptiles, he singled out iguanas of the genus Amblyrhynchus, which differed in that they could swim in the sea. Having collected an almost complete collection of local insects, Darwin came to the conclusion that he had not seen an area in the world that was poorer in terms of their fauna.

Table of the number of animal species in the Galapagos Islands:

Island	All types	General kinds	Endemics islands	Endemics this island
James	71	33	38	30
Albemarle	46	18	26	22
Chatham	32	16	16	12
Charles	68	39	29	21

Australia and Oceania

After finishing filming the Galapagos Islands, the Beagle headed west to the island of Tahiti. After passing the Tuamotu Islands, the expedition arrived in Tahiti on 15 November. Darwin had the opportunity to study the geology of coral islands and reefs, which served as material for writing his book The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs. On November 22, the scientist had the opportunity to visit the capital of French Polynesia - Papeete. The leaders of Tahiti invited Captain Fitzroy to their residence. They questioned him about international customs and laws regarding the use of ships and regarding foreigners. On some points, the corresponding laws for Tahiti were immediately issued. Following this, Captain Fitzroy invited the Tahitian Queen Pomare to the ship, who visited him on 25 November.

The next day, November 26, the Beagle set sail from Papeete and headed for New Zealand, where it arrived only on December 21. The ship anchored in Islands Bay, in the north of the North Island. Darwin had the opportunity to study the geology of the island and its topography. He explored small hills that the Maori used as a fortification and called them "pa". The scientist took a tour of the island to the town of Waimate, then climbed up the Kauai-Kauai River and went to the village of Waiomyo, where he described unusual rocks. On December 30, the expedition left Islands Bay and headed for Australia.

On January 12, 1836, the Beagle arrived at Jackson Harbor, Sydney, Australia. Darwin immediately, on the evening of the day of arrival, walked around the city and its environs. On January 16, he organized an excursion west to Bathurst, and within a day he was at the foot of the Blue Mountains. On the way, he stopped by several farms, observed the local fauna. She struck him with her strangeness and originality. Darwin was fascinated by the platypus and the kangaroo. On January 22, he decided to return and on January 30, he sailed by ship to Hobart, on the island of Tasmania.

On February 5, the expedition arrived at Storm Bay in Tasmania. Darwin collected information about the natives, about how they were evicted from their native island and resettled on the small island of Flinders, in Bass Strait. February 7 "Beagle" sailed west and March 6 reached King George's Bay which is on the southwestern edge of the mainland. After staying there for 8 days, the scientist examined the remains of coral reefs on land. On March 14, the ship headed for the Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean.

Indian Ocean and Africa

On April 1, the expedition reached the Cocos Islands. Darwin studied the local flora and came to the conclusion that all of it was brought here by waves from the north, that it consists of only 20 species of wild plants belonging to 19 different genera of 16 different families. Among the animals, which were fewer than plants, the scientist described rats brought here, several legged birds, a lizard, 13 species of spiders, one beetle and a coconut crab ( Birgos latro).

On April 12, the Beagle left the lagoon and headed west to the island of Mauritius. On April 29, the expedition reached its northern cape. On May 1, Darwin led a tour of Mauritius, describing the geology and topography of this volcanic island. For two days he rested at the estate of Captain Lloyd, who was famous for his cartographic surveys of the Isthmus of Panama. On May 5, the scientist, together with the captain, made a trip to the Black River to inspect the uplifted coral rocks. On May 9, the Beagle left Port Louis for the Cape of Good Hope.

On May 31, the Beagle expedition arrived at the southern tip of Africa - the Cape of Good Hope and stopped in Simons Bay, near Cape Town. The next day, June 1, Darwin made a trip deep into South Africa. He examined the surrounding areas, but did not examine the flora or fauna.

Return

On June 16, Captain Fitzroy took the ship out of South Africa, and already on July 8 the expedition reached Saint Helena. Darwin made a number of excursions around the island and made several studies of the local flora. His attention was drawn to endemic species of molluscs, most of which were extinct. A collection of shells from 16 species was collected, 7 of which are endemic. The scientist drew attention to local birds. On July 19, the Beagle arrived on Ascension Island, where the scientist found black rats brought here by sailors. On July 23, the expedition set sail from the island and headed for Brazil, the city of Salvador, the state of Bahia.

On August 1, Darwin arrived in Brazil and, after staying there for 4 days, took a series of long walks. On August 6, the Beagle left the harbor of Salvador and headed northeast to the Cape Verde Islands. However, due to a storm and headwind, she had to enter the harbor of the city of Recife, Pernambuco, on 12 August. After staying in Brazil for another week, the expedition on August 19 nevertheless left the shores of South America.

On August 21, the Beagle crossed the equator and already on August 31 dropped anchor in the port of Praia, on the Cape Verde Islands. On 4 September, the ship sailed north to the Azores, where it did not arrive until 20 September. The expedition spent 4 days there, after which it sailed north to Great Britain. On October 2, the Beagle arrived at the port of Falmouth, where Darwin went ashore, and the ship sailed on to Devonport.

From Darwin's last lines in The Naturalist's Voyage Around the World on the Beagle:

The fruits of the journey

Huge factual material on geology and zoology, collected by Darwin during his travels and further processed both by himself and by other researchers, formed the basis of a number of capital works:

• "The Zoological Results of the Journey on the Beagle" (1839-1843) - 5 volumes, edited by Darwin himself
• geological results of the journey, 3 volumes:
  • "The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs" (1842)
  • "Geological observations over volcanic islands" (1844)
  • "Geological observations in South America» (1846)
• monograph on modern fossil barnacles, 4 volumes (1851-1854)
• a large number of articles on geology, zoology and other issues published in journals (1837-1858)
• "A naturalist's journey around the world on the ship" Beagle "" (1839) - was first translated into Russian in 1871 by E. Beketova

Quote from On the Origin of Species:

However great result Darwin's travels became known to the world only 23 years after the scientist returned to his homeland, in 1859, when his Origin of Species was published. Enough great importance acquired the fossilized remains of fossil animals found by Darwin. Now they are exhibited in major museums in Europe and the United States and are of high value in science.

Literature

• Darwin Ch. A naturalist's journey around the world on the Beagle
• Babbage, Charles (1838), The Ninth Bridgewater Treatise(2nd ed.), London: John Murray ,
• Barlow, Nora ed. (1933) Charles Darwin's diary of the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle Cambridge University Press ,
• Barlow, Nora ed. (1945)

On October 2, 1836, Charles Darwin returned from a less than five-year voyage around the world on the Beagle, which led to the creation of his theory of evolution. During this journey, Charles Darwin collected an extraordinary collection of materials, which he brought to England for a more detailed and complete study, which then finally formed his theory of evolution. Today we decided to make a selection of five things that Charles Darwin brought from the expedition.

Charles Darwin, an English naturalist and traveler, was the first to clearly demonstrate that all types of living organisms evolve over time from common ancestors. In his theory, the main driving force Darwin called evolution natural selection and indefinite variability.

Skeletons

During his trip around the world, Darwin discovered an unusual and amazing find - skeletons of monstrous size, which, upon closer examination, turned out to be closely related to the pygmy armadillos and sloths of South America. With him, Darwin brought more or less complete skeletons for more detailed study.

Turtle

One of the most valuable finds brought by Charles Darwin to his native lands was the Galapagos tortoise named Harriet. The turtle became the object of Darwin's research, she herself lived in captivity for 176 years. She was born around 1830.

Insects

For more full study Charles Darwin brought insects from his round-the-world trip, which he observed, recording all the necessary subtleties. Darwin mainly studied insects that were in the air above the sea, or in the water itself far from the coast. He also studied arthropods.

Plants

Several plant species Darwin brought with him, which were necessary for his research in his theory of evolution. Darwin spent common work on the definition of these plants, together with the English botanist Joseph Hooker. It is also known that Darwin had a great influence on the development of the Royal Gardens and the strengthening of their fame. Proof of this was the demonstration of flowering plants, the ancestors of which were brought by Darwin.

Journey of Charles Robert Darwin on the ship "Beagle" in 1831-1836, thanks to which the scientist began evolutionary doctrine, putting biology on a fairly solid scientific basis. Along with well-known scientific expeditions XIX century, this journey under the command of Captain Robert Fitzroy occupies one of the prominent places. In history geographical discoveries Of particular importance to travel are surveying the terrain for mapping the exact coastline of southern South America and the course of the Santa Cruz River. However, the worldwide fame of the Beagle is associated with Charles Darwin.

Travel background

The tasks set by the British Admiralty in official documents, Darwin formulated in his Research Diary. The first task was a detailed survey of the eastern and western coasts of South America and the adjacent islands. Based on this survey, the expedition had to make accurate nautical charts, which facilitated the navigation of ships in these waters. Since the Beagle's five years of sailing, most of the time has been spent on this. The ship was off the east and west coasts of South America for 3.5 years - from February 28, 1832 to September 7, 1835. Captain Fitzroy delivered to the Admiralty more than 80 maps of different parts of the coast and islands, 80 plans of bays and harbors indicating all anchor stops and 40 drawings-landscapes of visited places.

The second task was to create a chain of chronometric measurements in a sequential series of points around the globe to accurately determine the meridians of these points. It was to accomplish this task that the Beagle had to make a round-the-world trip: it is possible to verify the correctness of the chronometric determination of longitude, provided that the determination of the longitude of any starting point by the chronometer coincides with the same determinations of the longitude of this point, carried out upon returning to it after crossing the earth ball.

These tasks quite openly testified to the true goals that the British government set when equipping expensive expeditions. The "mistress of the seas", who lost her North American colonies, directed her aspirations to South America. Continuing the old struggle with the once powerful Spain, Great Britain in the first third of the 19th century decided to use internal research in the Latin American republics, recently declared themselves independent.

Travel preparation

Charles Darwin was then 23 years old, he was a fairly prepared, inquisitive and energetic naturalist, and after the trip he returned as a scientist who was on the verge of discovering the main laws of the development of life on Earth.

Darwin was invited to take part in the journey by Professor Henslow due to the fact that the astronomer from the University of Cambridge, Professor J. Peacock, who was asked to recommend a naturalist on the Beagle, could not find right person and asked for help. In a letter to Darwin dated August 24, 1831, Henslow wrote:

Darwin arrived in London to negotiate with Fitzroy. For some time the captain did not give him answers about his consent to his candidacy. Darwin learned that he was in very serious danger of being rejected through the shape of his nose. Fitzroy, an ardent follower of Lavater, considered himself a subtle physiognomist and "was sure that he could judge the character of a person by the features of his face." He doubted whether a man with a nose like Darwin's had enough energy and determination to make the trip. In early September, Charles was nevertheless included in the expedition. However, he had to purchase all the equipment himself, and besides, he did not receive a salary. The British government, equipping the expedition, did not want to take any care of the naturalist, considering it not necessary to be on the expedition. But Fitzroy himself insisted on the presence of such a scientist.

Brig "Beagle"

The Beagle was a well-built small brig with a displacement of 235 tons. Equipped with 6 guns. For this voyage, the ship sailed the same waters in 1826-1830 with the Adventure ship. At the end of Charles Darwin's expedition, he made two more voyages:

• 1837-1841 under the command of John Wickem for the hydrographic survey of the northern coast of Australia and the valleys of the rivers there;
• 1841-1843 under the command of John Stokes for the hydrographic survey of the coast of New Zealand.

In 1845-1870, the Beagle was on shore duty at Southend, at the mouth of the River Thames.

The composition of the expedition

The expedition included:

• ship captain, expedition leader and filming director - Robert Fitzroy;
• 2 lieutenants - John Wickema and Bartholomew John Sullivan;
• assistant director of filming navigator John Stokes;
• physician Benjamin Byno;
• crew of the ship with 10 officers, boatswain, 42 sailors and 8 cabin boys;
• naturalist Charles Darwin;
• toolmaker John Stebbing, who was invited by the captain himself and personally paid his salary;
• artist and draftsman A. Earl, who was replaced in Montevideo due to illness by C. Martens;
• missionary R. Matthews, who was heading to Tierra del Fuego to plant Christianity among the natives;
• three natives from Tierra del Fuego, brought by Fitzroy on a previous expedition.

Travel

across the atlantic ocean

On December 27, 1831, the Beagle left the port of Devonport, UK, after twice being unable to start sailing due to strong south-westerly winds. On January 6, 1832, the expedition arrived at the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, but it was not possible to land on the shore due to fear of morbidity. local residents cholera. After standing on the road for some time, they moved on, and already on January 16 they arrived in the Santiago Islands, in the Cape Verde Islands group, and anchored off the city of Porto Praia. Darwin surveyed the island, described its geology and topography:

The naturalist conducted research on local birds and animals. Together with two officers, he first made an excursion to the village of Ribeira Grande in the valley of St. Martin, where they examined the ruins of the fortress and the cathedral, and the church, where there were graves of local governors of the XV-XVI centuries. Later, Darwin made a trip to the villages of San Domingos (in the center of the island) and Fuentes, where he made a description of local birds. On the island of Santiago, Darwin examined the dust that falls in the morning after the fog, and determined that it consisted of ciliates with silicon shells and silicon plant tissue. Before leaving, he made observations of local marine animals, in particular octopuses. On February 8, the expedition left Cape Verde, and on February 16 they reached the rocks of St. Paul, where they began to drift. Darwin observed local birds nesting on rocks and other animals. Having made a description and observation of rocks, he came to the conclusion that they were formed due to coral reefs (this observation gave rise to the book "The structure and distribution of coral reefs"). On February 17, the expedition crossed the equator.

Brazil

On February 20, the expedition arrived at the volcanic island of Fernando de Noronha, where Darwin made a description of the flora and fauna and studied its geology. A week later, on February 28, they arrived in the city of Bahia in Brazil. Darwin was very captured by the nature of the surrounding lands. He examined large areas around the city, describing the geology and relief. In particular, he continued the studies of syenite rocks begun by Humboldt during his trip to South America, which were "covered with a black substance and rubbed to a shine with graphite." Darwin could not help but inspect the local animals and plants. Made significant observations of urchin fish (Diodon antennatus) and determined that this small fish, when it enters the stomach of a shark, can eat through its walls and even the side of a predatory animal, while killing it. On March 18, the Beagle set sail from El Salvador, continuing its round-the-world voyage.

During his stay in a cottage on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, Darwin made observations of local animals - Rakanya, insects (including fireflies Lampyridae), marine animals (jellyfish, nereids, hydroid genera clytia, pyrosomes). Several times he made small excursions around the surrounding lands, visited the local botanical garden, made a trip to the mountains of Gavia, where he described various insects - beetles, butterflies, larvae, spiders.

Uruguay (first voyage)

On July 5, 1832, the ship left the harbor of Rio de Janeiro and headed south to La Plata. July 26 "Beagle" anchored in the port of Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. For the next two years, the expedition carried out cartographic surveys along the eastern and southern coasts of South America south of La Plata. For the first 10 weeks, Darwin lived in Maldonado, east of Montevideo. During this time, he collected a large collection of mammals, birds (80 species) and reptiles (including 9 species of snakes). The scientist conducted a series of excursions around the surroundings - to the Polanco River, which is 70 miles to the north, to the village of Las Minas, the hunched area of ​​the Sierra de las Animas and the village of Pan de Azucar. The naturalist described and studied various animals, in particular Darwin's rhea, dolphins named after the captain of the Beagle. Delphinus fitzroyi, deer cervus campestris, there are many rodents (in particular, the largest modern rodent - the capybara). After the first visit to Uruguay, the entire expedition on the Beagle sailed south to the Tierra del Fuego archipelago.

Tierra del Fuego

December 17, 1832 the expedition reached Tierra del Fuego. Rounding Cape San Diego, the ship entered the Le Mer Strait and anchored in Good Success Bay. The members of the expedition were met by the natives - the landowners. On board the ship were also the fugitives, whom Captain Fitzroy had taken on a previous voyage in 1826-1830 on the ships Adventure and Beagle, and now wanted to return to their homeland. From the next day, Darwin began to explore the island, described it, explored the beech forests. On December 21, the Beagle weighed anchor and sailed past the Barnevelt Islands and Cape Deception, reaching Cape Horn, the southernmost point of South America. Due to bad weather, the expedition stayed here for 6 days and only on December 30 moved west. Due to strong storms, it was difficult to get to the islands, therefore, only on January 15, 1833, leaving the ship, and on January 24, on 4 boats, the captain was able to get to Tierra del Fuego. The return to the "Beagle" took place through the Beagle Channel, where at the same time a survey of the area was carried out. During his entire stay on the islands, Darwin made a number of observations of the fumes that were interesting for science, described their appearance, behavior and history.

April 28, 1833 "Beagle" returned to Maldonado (Uruguay). The expedition returned to Tierra del Fuego for the second time on February 2, 1834 and stayed there until March 5.

Argentina (La Plata)

On July 24, 1833, the Beagle sailed from Maldonado and on August 3 set sail against the mouth of the Rio Negro. Here is how Charles Darwin describes this place:

From the beginning of work, Darwin examined and described the surrounding lands, studied their geology, visited the village of Carmen de Patagones up the river, where the buildings were destroyed during the attacks of the Indians. This interested him, and from the inhabitants who remained alive, he began to collect information about this attack and the Indians. Salt lakes also attracted his attention. Salines 28 km from the settlement. He studied their flora and fauna, described several species of algae and crustaceans, lived there. On August 10, Darwin decided to make an excursion trip on horseback to the city of Bahia Blanca, located between Buenos Aires and the mouth of the Rio Negro. During the tour, the scientist collected a lot of information about local animals and plants, including guanaco, agouti Cavia patagonica, owl Athene cunicularia.

On August 24, the Beagle arrived at Bahia Blanca and a week later sailed north to La Plata. Darwin stayed on land and decided to ride this way to Buenos Aires on horseback. On the way, the scientist described the surrounding territories, their relief, flora and fauna, including Darwin's American rhea and many other bird species. In Punta Alta, he explored a tectonic section with numerous remains of giant animals and found several skeletons - Megatherium (Megatherium), megalonix (Megalonyx) celidotherium (Scelidotherium), milodon (Mylodon darwinii), Macrauchenia (macrauchenia), toxodon (Toxodon darwinii). On the way to the capital of Argentina, Darwin crossed the Sierra de la Ventana and the Rio South, Rio Tapalguen and Rio Salado. On September 20, he arrived in Buenos Aires, where he spent a week, and on September 27 he went northwest to the city of Sant Fe.

After Buenos Aires, on September 28, Darwin arrived in the city of Lujan, then passed through Areco. In the pampas, a naturalist observed local animals, in particular viscacha. On September 30, Darwin went to the Parana River, and on October 3 went to Santa Fe. Due to a slight illness, he spent two days in bed. On October 5, the naturalist crossed the Paraná to Santa Fe Bajada, where he stayed for 5 days. Here Darwin began excavating the ancient remains of giant animals - similar to the armadillo glyptodon (Glyptodon clavipes) and an extinct horse (Equus curvidens). On October 12, due to illness, the scientist was forced to sail back to Buenos Aires by the Parana River, where he arrived on October 20, but from the mouth of the river to the city, for the sake of speed, he traveled this way on horseback. When Darwin arrived, they did not want to let Buenos Aires at first because of the revolution that the supporters of General Rosas staged against Governor Balcarse. Thanks to friendship with the general, the scientist was nevertheless let through.

Uruguay (second trip)

After being detained for two weeks in Buenos Aires, Darwin sailed on a mail ship to Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. The Beagle was anchored there. Taking advantage of his delay, the scientist planned another excursion around the country. On November 14, he left for Colonia del Sacramento, a town on the north coast of La Plata, opposite Buenos Aires. The move lasted for 3 days, and on November 17 Darwin was in place. Here he observed bulls of a very rare breed, which in Uruguay and Argentina are called nyato. They were very similar to the ruminants extinct in India - the sivatherium, so the skull that the naturalist found was very valuable. On November 19, the tour arrived in the city of Las VECAS, located at the mouth of the Uruguay River. From here they headed north to the city of Mercedes on the Rio Negro, a tributary of Uruguay. After staying there for several days, the tour returned back to Montevideo, but in a straight line. On the way, Darwin stopped by a friend's ranch, where he bought the skull of an extinct animal Toxodon from the owner. On November 28, the scientist arrived in Montevideo, from where on December 6, on the Beagle ship, sailed south to Patagonia.

Argentina (Patagonia)

On the way to Patagonia, Darwin examined insects that were in the air above the sea, or in the water itself far from the coast, and arthropods, especially crustaceans. On December 23, the expedition arrived in Zhelanie Bay (to the south modern city Comodoro Rivadavia), where there were ruins of an old Spanish settlement. Going ashore, Darwin began to explore the local flora and fauna. His attention was attracted by insects, reptiles and birds, as well as guanacos. Having described the geology and relief of Patagonia, the scientist came to the conclusion about the special history of this region. January 9, 1834 "Beagle" anchored in the bay of San Julian, which is 210 km to the south. Here Darwin investigated the diversity of insects on salt lakes-lagoons. A skeleton of an extinct animal, the Macrauchenia, was also found. (Macrauchenia patagonica). After staying in the bay for 8 days, the expedition moved further southeast to the Falkland Islands.

Falkland Islands

March 1, 1833 and March 16, 1834 "Beagle" anchored in Barclay Bay, off East Falkland Island. It was with the second trip on the ship that Darwin was present. With two Argentines, the scientist made a short horseback tour of the island. During it, he explored its geology and relief, described the poor world of flora and fauna. On the island, the naturalist met a herd of wild horses, brought here by the French in 1764, and herds of cows. Among the endemics, the Falkland wolf and several species of birds were described - the southern caracara (Caracara plancus), penguin Aptenodytes demersa, geese: Anas magellanica,Anas brachyptera and Anas antarctica. Darwin also observed "Coralina" - marine coral-like animals (mainly hydroids and bryozoans), which he attributed to now obsolete genera. flustra,Eschara,Cellaria and Crisis. On April 6, the Beagle sailed west to the Santa Cruz River.

Argentina (Santa Cruz)

On April 13, the ship anchored at the mouth of the Santa Cruz River. Captain Fitzroy decided to go up the river as long as time allowed. Before that, only Captain Stokes, who served as an assistant on this expedition, did this. Climbing up the river against the current was very difficult, because the ship remained in the bay, and the journey was extended on three boats. It began on April 19 and lasted 3 weeks. On the way to the origins of Santa Cruz, Darwin described and explored the geology of Patagonia. On May 5, Captain Fitzroy decided to return, having traveled 270 km (the total length of the river is 365 km). On May 8, the expedition returned to the Beagle.

Chile

At the end of May 1834, the Beagle entered the Strait of Magellan from the east. At Cape Gregory, the expedition met the Patagonians, a people who had a fairly large stature. Darwin described them and their way of life, even wanted to take three with him. On June 1, the expedition arrived at Goloda Bay, where the scientist described the relief of the surrounding coast, the local flora and fauna. Among plants, Darwin explored the local evergreen forests of beech, among animals - mouse-like rodents, tuco-tuco, seals and other animals, as well as birds. On June 8, the Beagle sailed away from the Strait of Magellan, but the last section of Fitzroy decided to pass the newly opened Magdalena Canal in a south-westerly direction. On June 10, the expedition entered the Pacific Ocean and on June 28 reached the island of Chiloe. From here, cartographic surveys of the western coast of South America began from the Tres Montes Peninsula in the south to the city of Callao (Peru) in the north, the Chiloe and Chonos archipelagos.

July 23 "Beagle" anchored in the port of Valparaiso, the main port of Chile. Here the expedition could observe Mount Aconcagua, the high point South America:

On August 14, Darwin led a horseback tour to geologically explore the foothills of the Andes, which were not covered in snow. On August 15, the scientist visited the Quilliota valley, on August 17 he climbed Mount Campana, on August 19 he arrived in the city of Hahuel, where he stayed for a week. On August 26, Darwin made an excursion to the closed Gitron Valley, from where he reached the capital of Chile - Santiago. He stayed in this city for a week and on August 6 he arrived in Rancagua, on August 13 - in Rio Clara, from where they turned to the city of San Fernando. On August 27, the scientist returned to the city of Valparaiso and, due to illness, stayed there until the end of October. During excursions in central Chile, Darwin made valuable scientific observations of the relief, geology and climate of the area. He paid less attention to flora and fauna.

On November 10, the Beagle sailed south for cartographic surveys and on November 21 arrived in the city of San Carlos, the main city of the island of Chiloe. On November 24, two boats under the command of Sullivan were sent to survey the east coast, the Beagle itself surveyed the western and southern coasts of the island, Darwin passed the island on horseback first to the north, and on November 30 arrived east, where he met with the entire expedition. On December 1, the ship sailed for Lemu Island, then for San Pedro Island. On December 10, the Beagle headed south and reached the Chonos Archipelago on December 13. Having stayed there until December 18, the ship turned south and reached the Tres Montes Peninsula on December 30. January 7, 1835 the expedition returned to the Chonos archipelago, where they stayed for a week. Darwin was engaged in the description and study of the geology of the islands, while not excluding the study of flora and fauna. Many plants have been described that form forests on the islands - Astelite (Astelia) donatia (Donatia) myrtle (Myrtus) crowberry (Empetrum) rush (juncus) among the animals there are sea otters, mice, rodents of nutria and capybara, cheukau birds, petrels and pied koryshnik.

On January 15, the Beagle left the harbor of Low, in the north of the Chonos archipelago, and after 3 days anchored for the second time in the bay of the port of San Carlos on the island of Chiloe. On January 19, the expedition observed the volcanic eruption of Osorno, which coincided with the eruption of Aconcagua and Coseguina. This interested Darwin very much, because the Koseguina volcano had NOT erupted for 26 years, and Aconcagua was very rarely active in general. Captain Fitzroy surveyed along the western coast of the island, and Darwin crossed it from the east in a meridional direction. On the way, he visited Cook Lakes and Indian settlements. On February 4, the Beagle sailed north from Chiloe and arrived in Valdivia on February 8. On February 11, Darwin took a short tour of the area. On February 20, he witnessed an earthquake, the strongest in this city in its entire history. On March 4, the expedition arrived at the port of Talcahuano in the city of Concepción, where only ruins remained after the earthquake. After staying here for 3 days, the ship sailed for Valparaiso, and on March 11, anchored in its port. Darwin left for Santiago, from where he intended to conduct a campaign through the Andes to the Argentine city of Mendoza.

On March 18, the excursion went towards the Portillo Pass. Along the way, Darwin kept notes on research on the geology of the surrounding mountains. On March 23, the scientist crossed the pass and began to descend the steep eastern slope of the Andes. On March 27, the excursion went to the city of Mendoza, and on March 29 it returned back, but already through the Uspallata pass, which was located a little to the north. Darwin crossed the pass on April 1, reached the Inca Bridge on April 4, and arrived back in Santiago on April 10. A few days later he returned to Valparaiso, where he rendezvoused with the Beagle.

On April 27, Darwin organized a new excursion to the north of the country, namely along the route Valparaiso - Coquimbo - Guasco - Copiapo. It was in Copiapo that Captain Fitzroy was to pick him up, and from there head north to the Galapagos Islands. At first, the journey took place along the Pacific coast, but then returned deep into Chile, crossing the valleys of many rivers. On May 14, Darwin reached Coquimbo, where he described the geology of local terraces, built from the remains of ancient mollusks. On June 2, the excursion reached Guasco, where they passed through the desert plains and witnessed another earthquake, and on June 22, Copiapo. Since the Beagle had not yet arrived at the port, Darwin made a short trip to the Andes, and returned on July 1. On July 4 a ship arrived and sailed the next day from Copiapo.

Across the Pacific

On July 12, the expedition arrived in the Peruvian city of Iquique, where Darwin examined the surrounding lands. On July 19, the Beagle arrived in Callao, the main port of the country, located near the capital, Lima. Having made a tour of the surroundings, Darwin first saw and described such a phenomenon as El Niño. After staying in Peru in early September, the expedition moved northwest to the Galapagos Islands on September 7th.

From September 15 to October 20, the Beagle stayed in the Galapagos Islands, conducting cartographic surveys here. Darwin explored the geology and biology of the islands. On September 17, he landed on Chatham Island (San Cristobal), where he described the local flora, in particular, he was interested in one shrub of the Euphorbia family. On September 23, Darwin visited Charles Island (Floriana). On September 29, the ship sailed near the largest island of Albemarle (Isabela) and got into a storm between it and Narborough Island (Fernandina). On October 8, the expedition arrived at James Island (Santiago), named together with Charles Island by name English kings from the Stuart dynasty. Having conducted numerous studies of the local flora and fauna, Darwin described it and collected a fairly large collection of animals and plants. Among mammals, he singled out a mouse, among birds he collected 26 specimens, especially caracara and scops. Darwin studied a diverse group of related birds common on the islands, which he named "The Finch" after the European group. Thanks to them, the scientist proved that the diversity of animal forms depends primarily on their place of residence - the transmutation of species. Among endemic reptiles, he singled out iguanas of the genus Amblyfhynchus, which, unlike other members of the genus, could swim in the sea. Having collected an almost complete collection of local insects, Darwin came to the conclusion that he had not seen an area poor in these animals in the world.

Table of the number of species in the Galapagos Islands:

After finishing filming the Galapagos Islands, the Beagle headed west towards Tahiti. Crossing the Tuamotu Islands, the expedition arrived in Tahiti on 15 November. Darwin had the opportunity to study the geology of coral islands and reefs, served as material for writing his book "The structure and distribution of coral reefs". On November 22, the scientist had the opportunity to visit the capital of French Polynesia - Papeete. After a meeting with the Tahitian parliament, Captain Fitzroy invited the Tahitian Queen Pomara to the ship, who visited him on November 25th.

The next day, November 26, the Beagle set sail from Papeete and headed for New Zealand, where it arrived only on December 21. The ship anchored in Islands Bay, in the north of the North Island. Darwin had the opportunity to study the geology of the island and its topography. He explored the small hills that the Maori used as fortifications and called them pa. The scientist took a tour of the island to the town of Waimate, then climbed up the Kauai-Kauai River and went to the village of Waiomyo, where he described unusual rocks. On December 30, the expedition left Islands Bay and headed for Australia.

Australia

On January 21, 1836, the Beagle arrived in Jackson Bay, Sydney, Australia. Darwin immediately, on the evening of the day of his arrival, walked around the city and its environs. On January 16, he organized an excursion west to Bathurst, and a day later he was at the foot of the Blue Mountains. On the way, he stopped by several farms, observed the local fauna. She struck him with her strangeness and originality. Darwin was delighted with platypuses and kangaroos. On January 22, he decided to return and on January 30, he sailed on a ship to Hobart, on the island of Tasmania.

On February 5, the expedition arrived at Storm Bay in Tasmania. Darwin collected information about the natives, about how they were evicted from their native island and moved to the small island of Flinders, in Bass Strait. On February 7, the Beagle sailed west and on March 6 reached King George Bay, on the southwestern edge of the mainland. After staying there for 8 days, the scientist examined the remains of coral reefs on land. On March 14, the ship headed for the Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean.

Across the Indian Ocean

On April 1, the expedition reached the Cocos Islands, located 1150 km southwest of the coast of Sumatra. Darwin studied the local flora and came to the conclusion that all of it was brought here by waves from the north, that it consists of only 20 species of wild plants belonging to 19 different genera of 16 different families. Among animals, which were even smaller than plants, the scientist described rats brought here, several legged birds, a lizard, 13 species of spiders, one beetle and a coconut crab. (Birgos latro).

On April 12, the Beagle left the lagoon and headed west towards the island of Mauritius. On April 29, the expedition reached its northern cape. On May 1, Darwin gave a tour of Mauritius, describing the geology and topography of this volcanic island. For two days he rested at the estate of Captain Lloyd, who was famous for his cartographic surveys of the Isthmus of Panama. On May 5, the scientist, together with the captain, made a trip to the Black River to inspect the uplifted coral rocks. On May 9, the Beagle left the port of Port Louis and headed for the Cape of Good Hope.

Africa

On May 31, the Beagle expedition arrived at the southern tip of Africa - the Cape of Good Hope and stopped at Simons Bay, near Cape Town. The next day, June 1, Darwin made a trip deep into South Africa. He examined the surrounding areas, but did not examine the flora or fauna. In the diary and book "Journey ..." this visit is mentioned as follows:

On June 16, Captain Fitzroy took the ship out of South Africa, and on July 8 the expedition reached St. Helena. Darwin made a number of excursions around the island and made several studies of the local flora. His attention was drawn to endemic species of mollusks, most of which were extinct. A collection of shells of 16 species was collected, 7 of which are endemic. The scientist drew attention to local birds. On July 19, the Beagle arrived on Ascension Island, where the scientist found black rats brought here by seafarers. On July 23, the expedition set sail from the island and headed for Brazil, the city of Bahia.

Return

On August 1, Darwin arrived in Brazil and, after staying there for 4 days, took a series of long walks. On August 6, the Beagle left the harbor of Bahia and headed northeast to the Cape Verde Islands. However, due to storms and headwinds, he had to enter the harbor of the city of Pernambuco on August 12. After staying in Brazil for another week, the expedition on August 19 nevertheless left the shores of South America.

On August 21, the Beagle crossed the equator and already on August 31 dropped anchor in the port of the city of Praia on the Cape Verde Islands. On September 4, the ship sailed north to the Azores, where it arrived only on September 20. The expedition spent 4 days there, after which it sailed north to Great Britain. October 2 "Beagle" arrived in the city of Falmouth, where Darwin went ashore, and the ship sailed on to Devonport.

Consequences of travel

Huge factual material on geology and zoology, collected by Darwin during his travels and further processed both by himself and by other researchers, formed the basis of a number of major works:

• Zoological results of the journey on the Beagle(1839-1843) - 5 volumes, edited by Darwin himself;
• geological results of the journey, 3 volumes:
  • Structure and distribution of coral reefs (1842),
  • Geological observations over volcanic islands (1844),
  • Geological Observations in South America (1846);
• monograph on modern barnacle fossils, 4 volumes (1851-1854)
• a large number of articles on geology, zoology and other issues published in journals (1837-1858);
• A naturalist's journey around the world on the Beagle(1839) - was first translated into Russian in 1871 by E. Beketova;
• Autobiography;
• Origin of Species (1859).

However, the great result of Darwin's journey became known to the world only 23 years after the scientist returned to his homeland, in 1859, when his Origin of Species was published. The petrified remains of fossil animals found by Darwin acquired a rather great importance. Now they are exhibited in major museums in Europe and the United States and have a valuable scientific value.