Although Charles Darwin and the Galapagos Islands are forever intertwined, it was not that way on H.M.S. Beagle. Darwin arrived in the Galapagos on September 16, 1835, after spending 1364 days of a total of 1737 on the voyage of the Beagle, chiefly exploring parts of east and west South America, especially in the south. The ship's crew and Captain Robert FitzRoy were already long overdue on the planned 2-year voyage when they arrived at Galapagos, and they were getting anxious for home. Once the Beagle left South America, the pace of voyaging increased so that only a few days would be used at stops on its way home. Thus, the Galapagos were short-changed compared with other places — Brazil, the Pampas, Falkland Islands, Tierra del Fuego, Isla Chiloe, mainland Chile, even little St. Jago in the Cape Verde Islands. The Beagle spent 31 days cruising among the Galapagos Islands, at one period blown off course. Darwin, who had great expectations of viewing the volcanic geology of the islands, spent only 19 days or parts of days ashore on only four of the 15 major islands. These days were chiefly devoted to geologic endeavors. While in the Galapagos, he did observe and collect the unique fauna and flora but had no significant insights into them until well after his return to England, when they were examined mainly by other experts and after he had studied his notes. The growth of Darwin on the Beagle was chiefly in geology; biology came later. Not that he ignored the biology, he did not. He observed and collected many animals and plants, and he had thoughts about the distribution of animals, but he did not develop broader theories and ideas as he did in geology.
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