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Frank Hajek's avatar

Yup, I thought it was a mollusc, like a mussel...

Quite clever of Darwin to position himself as an expert on something over which he would face little competition :).

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Kate Howlett's avatar

Wow! Such beautiful pen/feather holders! Thank you for sharing all this. Have you heard that fantastic story about Charles Darwin's daughter and barnacles? Apparently he had a whole room at home dedicated to studying them, so much so that when his daughter was at her friend's house, she is supposed to have asked, 'So where does your father keep his barnacles?'

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Jessica Groenendijk's avatar

Yes, I had heard that story. Except that the version I heard was that it was his son who asked that. Either way, it says everything about Darwin’s dedication. I wonder, is something an obsession if you don’t love your subject?

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Kate Howlett's avatar

Very true!

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