A Monograph on the Sub-class Cirripedia (Volume 1 of 2) The Lepadidae; Or, Pedunculated Cirripedes

"A Monograph on the Sub-class Cirripedia (Volume 1 of 2)" by Charles Darwin, is a mid-19th century scientific writing centered around a group of crustaceans called barnacles. The writing looks closely at the classification and anatomy of different kinds of barnacles, adding to what was known about sea creatures at the time. Darwin starts by thanking different naturalists for their help gathering samples for his studies. He had only planned on describing a very strange lone barnacle, but, with a push from others, widened his work to include the whole group. Darwin points out how tricky it could be to classify barnacles because there were so many different kinds and so much going on inside. He also makes sure to acknowledge everyone that helped him and the many resources he had available to him, preparing his readers for the detailed exploration of barnacles in later chapters.