My source was the NHM on this one and I trust them. They specifically singled out this bird as the one on which he did his long term study before formalising his theory.

Of course, the other question up for analysis is whether I get stuck with Austria again...

@Draug - see pm

Cool. I could only get what I found on the web. But, yeah, I would trust the NHM. But check out darwin-online.org.uk for all kinds of cool Darwin info.

I am proud to say I knew little about Darwin and Googled every bit to get in, yet I'm the first person in the game that isn't the creator of said game.

There were a couple of great tit-bits in the package I referred to. Unfortunately, without re-reading it, I forget the second. But it was another Darwinian 'urban myth' type of thing...

Maybe his ship was the Bagel?

That he didn't go to investigate animals, and was actually there to investigate the geology?
@Draug - You were in before me were you?

Oh, and I'm back out - can't actually *play* it :P

I will have to read the stuff again. I have it in one of my piles of journals.

Didn't know you got in and left, Fig. Sorry for impuning your reputation. Of the players in the game now (having not left previously), I was the first to get it. Better?

Haha, I was more asking tbh - I know I joined at that time as well.
You keep misunderstanding me :(

No, you may well have beaten me in and left, althouhg I see the notification of you leaving the game, and I know only flashman was in when I signed in...

Then quite clearly I didn't :)

Hm. Flashman, can you pm me a link to your supporting evidence for the study of this bird as opposed to his finches? I am personally curious because a friend of mine actually got a tattoo of Geospiza fortis to represent evolution, and it'd be interesting to know if he should have got a different bird.

Nice way to try and get the answer ChrisP. :-)

I beat you by a minute or less Figle...

Enigma-211:14 AM figlesquidge has joined the game.
Enigma-211:13 AM You have joined! Good luck

But join back in, figle. Just one game won't hurt. I promise to pause if you need one.

Ok, so I dug up the NHM references and other articles, and know what bird we're talking about. But for some reason the password always turns incorrect. I've tried caps, no caps, space, no space, and all sorts of variations. Scientific name. Geographical name (prefix being a specific island starting with 'F' within the Galapagos) and everything. Ugh.

Haha, I've got too many games, I couldn't play even if I researched the answer.

I have joined.

This question is perhaps a little ambiguous. Charles Darwin developed his theory over a long period of time. He traveled to the Galapogos Islands in 1831, but his book On the Origin of Speicies was not published until 1859. The birds that most people would think of when they read this question would be the birds that did lead Darwin to conceive his theory. Namely, finches (and some other birds too). When he returned to England he had quite a bit more study to do...
So Finch is not exactly the wrong answer, but it is if you want to join this game.
To be honest I guessed the password after reading one of Draugs posts.

I will look for my source - I am not sure if there is an on-line version: I was using a standard journal.

Figle has already scolded me for the wording of the question where I said 'birds' as that is ambiguous. Darwin obviously looked at lots of different birds, including the finches and mockingbirds.

Seven characters, plural and all lower case. Anyone else up for this little test?

If I can get in so should everybody else.

@Draug: I've got exams the next 2 weeks, then 2 weeks I could play, then no internet for much of the following 6 weeks - not a time to join a game!

I got in. But I left because Im in two long term games already. That's two too many.

We still need three brave souls...

a tiny bump...

Still need three.

It is interesting to see how many of you have joined in order to solve the puzzle and then left. Perhaps I should set an exam (Puzzle Donkey type effort).