▁chap el ▁with ▁their ▁mother . ▁ ▁As ▁a ▁young ▁child ▁at ▁The ▁Mount , ▁Dar win ▁av id ly ▁collected ▁animal ▁shell s , ▁postal ▁fran ks , ▁bird ' s ▁eggs , ▁p eb bles ▁and ▁min er als . ▁He ▁was ▁very ▁fond ▁of ▁garden ing , ▁an ▁interest ▁his ▁father ▁shared ▁and ▁encourag ed , ▁and ▁would ▁follow ▁the ▁family ▁gard ener ▁around . ▁Early ▁in ▁ 1 8 1 7 , ▁soon ▁after ▁becoming ▁eight ▁years ▁old , ▁he ▁started ▁at ▁the ▁small ▁local ▁school ▁run ▁by ▁a ▁Un itar ian ▁minister , ▁the ▁Re ver end ▁George ▁Case . ▁At ▁home , ▁Charles ▁learned ▁to ▁ride ▁pon ies , ▁shoot ▁and ▁fish . ▁In fl uen ced ▁by ▁his ▁father ' s ▁fashion able ▁interest ▁in ▁natural ▁history , ▁he ▁tried ▁to ▁make ▁out ▁the ▁names ▁of ▁plants ▁and ▁was ▁given ▁by ▁his ▁father ▁two ▁elementary ▁natural ▁history ▁books . ▁ ▁Child hood ▁games ▁included ▁invent ing ▁and ▁writing ▁out ▁complex ▁secret ▁codes . ▁Charles ▁would ▁tell ▁elaborate ▁stories ▁to ▁his ▁family ▁and ▁friends ▁" for ▁the ▁pure ▁pleasure ▁of ▁attract ing ▁attention ▁& ▁surprise ", ▁including ▁ho ax es ▁such ▁as ▁pret ending ▁to ▁find ▁app les ▁he ' d ▁hidden ▁earlier , ▁and ▁what ▁he ▁later ▁called ▁the ▁" mon str ous ▁f able " ▁which ▁persu aded ▁his ▁school friend ▁that ▁the ▁colour ▁of ▁prim ula ▁flowers ▁could ▁be ▁changed ▁by ▁dos ing ▁them ▁with ▁special ▁water . ▁However , ▁his ▁father ▁ben ign