Origin of Species - Charles Darwin

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1、CharlesDarwin(1809-1882)BornatShrewsbury,Darwincamefromanaffluentfamily,descendedfromsuccessfulcountrydoctorsononesideandtheWedgwoodfamily(ofpotteryfame)ontheother.Hewasintendedtofollowthefamilytraditionofmedicine,butcouldn’tstandthebloodynatureofsurgery,andseemedlikelytobecomeawastrel.Hisfathers

2、enthimtoCambridgetostudytheologywithaviewtoturninghimintoacountryparson,butDarwinbecamefascinatedbygeologyandnaturalhistory,impressinghistutorssomuchthattheyrecommendedhimforavacancythataroseasanunpaidnaturalistandcompanionfortheCaptainonthevoyageoftheBeagle.Theround-the-worldvoyagelastedfrom1831

3、to1836,andgaveDarwinarareinsightintothegeologyofdifferentpartsoftheglobeandthevarietyoflifeonEarth.Backhome,hefoundhehadareputationasageologist,basedonthereportsandmaterialshehadsentbackduringthevoyage,butwasnotknownasanaturalistatall.Althoughhealmostimmediatelycameupwiththeideaofnaturalselection

4、,hesetaboutestablishingareputationinbiologybeforethinkingaboutpublishingit.Indeed,heonlypublishedatallwhenAlfredRusselWallacecameupwiththesameideaindependently.Darwinwasasemi-invalidformostofhislife,perhapsaresultofatropicalinfectionpickeduponthevoyage,andlivedinseclusioninKentsurroundedbyalargef

5、amilyandattendedbyalovingwife.Independentlywealthy(andmademoresobythesuccessofhisbooks)heneverhadtoworkforaliving—but,paradoxically,workedfarharderthanmostpeople(whenhewaswellenough)atwhatstrictlyhastobecalledhishobby.JohnGribbinContentsPageAnHistoricalSketch5Introduction16ChapterOneVariationUnde

6、rDomestication21ChapterTwoVariationUnderNature51ChapterThreeStruggleforExistence64ChapterFourNaturalSelection80ChapterFiveLawsofVariation121ChapterSixDifficultiesonTheory152ChapterSevenInstinct181ChapterEightHybridism211ChapterNineOntheImperfectionoftheGeologicalRecord237ChapterTenOntheGeological

7、SuccessionofOrganicBeings263ChapterElevenGeographicalDistribution290ChapterTwelveGeographicalDistribution—continued319ChapterThirteenMutualAffinitiesofOrganicBeings:Morphology:Embryology:RudimentaryOrgans341ChapterFour