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Чарлз Дарвин. The Voyage of the Beagle
The Voyage of the Beagle
Table of Contents
PREFACE
THE VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE
CHAPTER I—ST. JAGO—CAPE DE VERD ISLANDS
CHAPTER II—RIO DE JANEIRO
CHAPTER III—MALDONADO
CHAPTER IV—RIO NEGRO TO BAHIA BLANCA
CHAPTER V—BAHIA BLANCA
CHAPTER VI—BAHIA BLANCA TO BUENOS AYRES
CHAPTER VII—BUENOS AYRES AND ST. FE
CHAPTER VIII—BANDA ORIENTAL AND PATAGONIA
CHAPTER IX—SANTA CRUZ, PATAGONIA, AND THE FALKLAND ISLANDS
CHAPTER X—TIERRA DEL FUEGO
CHAPTER XI—STRAIT OF MAGELLAN.—CLIMATE OF THE SOUTHERN COASTS
CHAPTER XII—CENTRAL CHILE
CHAPTER XIII—CHILOE AND CHONOS ISLANDS
CHAPTER XIV—CHILOE AND CONCEPCION: GREAT EARTHQUAKE
CHAPTER XV—PASSAGE OF THE CORDILLERA
CHAPTER XVI—NORTHERN CHILE AND PERU
CHAPTER XVII—GALAPAGOS ARCHIPELAGO
CHAPTER XVIII—TAHITI AND NEW ZEALAND
CHAPTER XIX—AUSTRALIA
CHAPTER XX—KEELING ISLAND: CORAL FORMATIONS
CHAPTER XXI—MAURITIUS TO ENGLAND
FOOTNOTES
Отрывок из книги
Charles Darwin
Published by Good Press, 2019
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FERNANDO NORONHA, Feb. 20th.—As far as I was enabled to observe, during the few hours we stayed at this place, the constitution of the island is volcanic, but probably not of a recent date. The most remarkable feature is a conical hill, about one thousand feet high, the upper part of which is exceedingly steep, and on one side overhangs its base. The rock is phonolite, and is divided into irregular columns. On viewing one of these isolated masses, at first one is inclined to believe that it has been suddenly pushed up in a semi-fluid state. At St. Helena, however, I ascertained that some pinnacles, of a nearly similar figure and constitution, had been formed by the injection of melted rock into yielding strata, which thus had formed the moulds for these gigantic obelisks. The whole island is covered with wood; but from the dryness of the climate there is no appearance of luxuriance. Half-way up the mountain, some great masses of the columnar rock, shaded by laurel-like trees, and ornamented by others covered with fine pink flowers but without a single leaf, gave a pleasing effect to the nearer parts of the scenery.
BAHIA, OR SAN SALVADOR. BRAZIL, Feb. 29th.—The day has passed delightfully. Delight itself, however, is a weak term to express the feelings of a naturalist who, for the first time, has wandered by himself in a Brazilian forest. The elegance of the grasses, the novelty of the parasitical plants, the beauty of the flowers, the glossy green of the foliage, but above all the general luxuriance of the vegetation, filled me with admiration. A most paradoxical mixture of sound and silence pervades the shady parts of the wood. The noise from the insects is so loud, that it may be heard even in a vessel anchored several hundred yards from the shore; yet within the recesses of the forest a universal silence appears to reign. To a person fond of natural history, such a day as this brings with it a deeper pleasure than he can ever hope to experience again. After wandering about for some hours, I returned to the landing-place; but, before reaching it, I was overtaken by a tropical storm. I tried to find shelter under a tree, which was so thick that it would never have been penetrated by common English rain; but here, in a couple of minutes, a little torrent flowed down the trunk. It is to this violence of the rain that we must attribute the verdure at the bottom of the thickest woods: if the showers were like those of a colder climate, the greater part would be absorbed or evaporated before it reached the ground. I will not at present attempt to describe the gaudy scenery of this noble bay, because, in our homeward voyage, we called here a second time, and I shall then have occasion to remark on it.
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