Darwin's own grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, wrote an extensive book outlining a transmutation view, and it is known that Darwin had read this as a teenager.
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com. noun. 1. the group of spectators at a public event; listeners or viewers collectively, as in attendance at a theater or concert: The audience was respectful of the speaker's opinion.
Crowd suggests a jostling, uncomfortable, and possibly disorderly company: A crowd gathered to listen to the speech. Multitude emphasizes the great number of persons or things but suggests that there is space enough for all: a multitude of people at the market on Saturdays.