PREFACE. I}f preparing this volume, wl1ich is practicany an abbreyiation of the Life and Letters (1887), my aim has been to retain as far as possible tho personal parts of those volumes. To render this feasible, large numbers of the more purely scientific letters afC omitted, or represented by the citation of a few scntences.* In certain periods of my father"s life tho scientific and the personal elements run a parallol course, rising alld falling together in their degree of interest. Thus the writing of the Origin of Species, and its publication, appeal equally to tIle reader who follows my f.lthc1"s career from interest in the man, and to the naturalist who desires to know something of this turning point in the history of Biology. This I,art of the story has therefore been tolll "with nearly the full amount of available detail. In arranging my material I ha,o followed a roughly chronological sequence, but the character and "Variety of my father"s researches makAbout the Publisher Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, History, Folklore and Mythology.Forgotten Books" Classic Reprint Series utilizes the latest technology to regenerate facsimiles of historically important writings. Careful attention has been made to accurately preserve the original format of each page whilst digitally enhancing the difficult to read text. Read books online for free at http://www.forgottenbooks.org