The Voyage Of The Beagle : Journals And Remarks

Synopsis

Read by Richard Dawkins, world-renowned authority on Darwin and author of best-selling books including The God Delusion . A definite precursor to On The Origin of Species , this non-fiction travel journal is a fascinating record of Darwin's observations of far-flung civilisations and the flora, fauna and human life he found there. His journey took in: Santiago - Cape Verde Islands; Saint Peter and Paul Rocks; Rio de Janeiro; Maldonado; Rio Negro to Bahia Blanca; Bahia Blanca; Bahia Blanca to Buenos Aires; Buenos Aires and St. Fe; Banda Oriental and Patagonia; Santa Cruz, Patagonia, and The Falkland Islands; Tierra del Fuego; Strait of Magellan; Climate of the Southern Coasts; Central Chile; Chiloe Island and Chonos Islands; Concepcion: Great Earthquake; Passage of the Cordillera; Northern Chile and Peru Galapagos; Archipelago Tahiti and New Zealand; Australia; Keeling Island - Coral Formations; and Mauritius to England. Darwin spent much of the voyage exploring on-land rather than at sea, and his explorations led to the beginnings of 'evolutionary' theories. He observed, for example, how finches' beaks varied and seemed localized in shape and form to particular islands or climates. Thus emerged the notion that a kind of 'natural selection' rather than a divine power may be responsible - each creature adapting physically to its particular environment over generations. This is an incredibly important and enlightening non-fiction work.