iption of this
Atoll and of his theory of its formation won for Darwin the esteem of
geologists when he later presented it in book form.

The voyage was continued around the Cape of Good Hope. Pursuing the
usual course of sailing vessels, the _Beagle_ touched once more at
Brazil, returning home to England in 1836, after an absence of five
years. Charles Darwin himself believed this trip to have been both his
education and his opportunity. He had started on it a rather careless
and indifferent student. He returned from it the most painstaking and
patient naturalist the world has ever known. His father, who had
hardly consented to his going because he believed him not stable
enough to be intrusted to his own devices for so long a period, was
profoundly moved at the sight of him on his return. Believing in
phrenology, as did many of the physicians of his time, his father
turned to his mother and said, "Look at the shape of his head; it is
quite altered"; which, translated into the language of to-day, would
read, "How wonderfully the young man has developed."

A part of Charles Darwin's duty to the British Government was to write
a narrative of the voyage, and this account of his trip upon the
_Beagle_ is one of the great classics of travel in the English
language. It won the confidence and respect of a wide circle of
readers. In his next book he published his observations made at the
Keeling Atoll and announced his theory of the formation of coral
islands. This was a distinctly scientific investigation, and it won
such immediate favor among geologists as to increase materially the
young man's reputation. No one man is ever widely enough acquainted
with the animal world to classify all the specimens gathered on such
an expedition. In accordance with custom, Darwin began distributing
his collections among specialists. Each of these was to identify and
describe, to name, if necessary, the kind of material he knew best.
Among others, Darwin had a considerable collection of barnacles
gathered from boats and wharves in all parts of the world. As he could
find no one sufficiently acquainted with these creatures to classify
them he decided reluctantly to work them up himself. For about eight
years much of his spare time was given to this painfully exacting
work. He expresses himself as fearing it was a waste of time. Few
systematic workers will agree with him. He did his work so well that
it has been unnecessary for anyone to do