thumb|Syms Covington
'''Syms Covington''' (c. 1816-1861) was a fiddler and HMS ''Beagle'' who became an assistant to Charles Darwin and was appointed as his personal servant in 1833, continuing in Darwin's service after the voyage until 1839. He then emigrated to Australia and settled as a postmaster.<ref name=K449></ref>

==''Beagle'' voyage==
When he was around fifteen years old, Syms Covington became "fiddler & boy to Poop-cabin" on the second survey expedition of HMS ''Beagle'',<ref>In July 1832 Darwin copied out a Watch-bill listing the crew and their positions, </ref> which left England on 27 December 1831 under the command of captain Robert FitzRoy. 

Covington kept a journal of the voyage, and in September 1832 at Bahia Blanca in South America he noted wildlife found there, including a find of Rhea eggs, and giant fossil bones of the megatherium which were collected and sent to England. It is not clear if he was assisting Charles Darwin with this work, but FitzRoy's later account suggests that both Darwin and Covington worked at excavating the fossils,<ref name=JSC3></ref> and on November 3 Darwin arranged some clothing for Covington.<ref> </ref>

On 29 April 1833, Darwin and Covington landed and took up residence ashore at Maldonado, Uruguay, while the ''Beagle'' went elsewhere on survey work.<ref>, </ref> After an excursion into the interior lasting twelve days,<ref name=B85></ref> they spent several weeks at Maldonado preparing the collections to be sent back to England. In a letter home started on 22 May, Darwin told his father that he had decided to take Covington on as a servant – 

He had been thinking about this for some time, but had not yet consulted the captain. In an addition to the letter, dated 6 July, Darwin announced that he had FitzRoy's agreement, and an unexpected saving –

As well as working as a servant and general amanuensis, writing out Darwin's records of investigations, Covington became Darwin's assistant as a collector, hunter and taxidermist,  In addition to his duties, Covington kept a personal journal regarding his impressions of the voyage. His journal includes accounts ranging from his daily mundane tasks to impressions of the lands and the people he encountered, and it provides an alternative perspective to supplement Darwin's ''Journal and Remarks'', better known as ''The Voyage of the Beagle''. 

==Return, work for Darwin and emigration==
After the ''Beagle'' returned in 1836, Covington became Darwin's manservant and continued in his duties as a general amanuensis. His own collection of bird specimens was invaluable in establishing the relationship of ''Darwin's Finches'' to each of the Galapagos Islands as, unlike Darwin, he had taken care to label where each specimen had been taken. 

Covington remained in Darwin's service until 25 February 1839.<ref name=K449/> He decided to emigrate, and was given a personal reference from Darwin in a letter dated 29 May 1839.<ref name=CEight></ref>

==Life in Australia==
Records indicate that Covington landed in Stroud, a small town in northern New South Wales. He was able to draw on his naval connections to find employment, and by 1843 was working as a clerk at the Sydney coal depot of the Australian Agricultural Company. Around 1844 the family, with their first two sons, accepted the invitation of Captain Lloyd and moved to the South coast property at Pambula, New South Wales, which Lloyd had been given in lieu of a pension from the Royal Navy.<ref name=CEight/> 

thumb|250px|'''Syms Covington''' ([[1816-1861).]]
'''Syms Covington''' (voyage sur le Beagle.

Il est encore adolescent lorsqu'il quitte l'Angleterre à bord de l'second voyage autour du monde entre 1831 et 1836. En tant qu'assistant de Darwin, il est tout à la fois collectionneur, chasseur, taxidermiste et homme de service.

En plus de ces tâches, Covington tient un journal personnel dans lequel il raconte ses impressions du voyage. Ce journal inclut des notes sur des sujets allant de ses corvées quotidiennes à ses impressions sur les pays et les peuples qu'ils rencontrent, et il donne un nouvel angle de vue à ce fameux voyage d'exploration, point de départ de la théorie de l'évolution, que Darwin publiera bien après son retour en Angleterre. 

C'est lui, et non Darwin, qui a recherché et capturé les célèbres pinsons de Darwin, Darwin préférant observer la géologie et les invertébrés des régions traversées<ref>Frank D. Steinheimer (2004). Charles Darwin’s bird collection and ornithological knowledge during the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, 1831–1836, Journal für Ornithologie, 145 : 300-320.</ref>.

En 1840, Covington émigre en Nouvelle-Galles du Sud en Australie et devient plus tard le chef de la poste de Pambula.