David Bowden

Quick update on my trivial inquiry, and then I'll leave it alone: Yahoo found me five online copies, three of which (including the copy in the II library) include ch7 "Objections", and two of which skip that chapter and list ch7 as "Instinct". Additionally, Robert A. Hatch's very nice Evolution Science site outlines The Origin, but doesn't include the "Objections" chapter.

So it's tied 3-3; both versions are equally available online, but talkorigins and Hatch (the two evolution sites hosting the book) use the edition without the "Objections" chapter, for whatever reason.

Interestingly, the Online Literature Library plays it both ways, and they've given me a good enough answer to my query:

<a href="http://www.literature.org/authors/darwin-charles/the-origin-of-species/" target="_blank">http://www.literature.org/authors/darwin-charles/the-origin-of-species/</a>

...doesn't have "Objections," but...

<a href="http://www.literature.org/authors/darwin-charles/the-origin-of-species-6th-edition/" target="_blank">http://www.literature.org/authors/darwin-charles/the-origin-of-species-6th-edition/</a>

...has it. I noted the "6th Edition;" that's the only copy I found that mentioned which edition it was transcribed from.

So, my hardbound copy must either be the 6th edition or another edition that includes the extra chapter, depending on when it was added.

Thanks for that link, DrGH. And now I'll change the channel back to Charlotte's Web...

-Wanderer

Quetzal

And for a couple of additional links on spider webs: <a href="http://www.ufsia.ac.be/Arachnology/Pages/Silk.html" target="_blank">this site</a> is a web (lol) portal with links to just about anything you ever wanted to know about spidersilk and webs. <a href="http://www.unibas.ch/dib/nlu/staff/sz/webconstruct.html" target="_blank">This site</a> has an excellent step-by-step description of how an orb spider (common European garden spider) goes about spinning her web. With pictures!