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"Nature" (293/1. Fritz Muller, "On a Frog having Eggs on its Back--On
the Abortion of the Hairs on the Legs of certain Caddis-Flies, etc.":
Muller's letter and one from Charles Darwin were published in "Nature,"
Volume XIX., page 462, 1879.), with a few prefatory remarks, pointing
out to the general reader the importance of your view, and stating
that I have been puzzled for many years on this very point. If, as I
am inclined to believe, your view can be widely extended, it will be a
capital gain to the doctrine of evolution. I see by your various papers
that you are working away energetically, and, wherever you look, you
seem to discover something quite new and extremely interesting. Your
brother also continues to do fine work on the fertilisation of flowers
and allied subjects.
I have little or nothing to tell you about myself. I go slowly crawling
on with my present subject--the various and complicated movements of
plants. I have not been very well of late, and am tired to-day, so will
write no more. With the most cordial sympathy in all your work, etc.
LETTER 294. TO T.H. HUXLEY. Down, April 19th, 1879.
Many thanks for the book. (294/1. Ernst Hackel's "Freedom in Science and
Teaching," with a prefatory note by T.H. Huxley, 1879. Professor Hackel
has recently published (without permission) a letter in which Mr. Darwin
comments severely on Virchow. It is difficult to say which would have
pained Mr. Darwin more--the affront to a colleague, or the breach of
confidence in a friend.) I have read only the preface...It is capital,
and I enjoyed the tremendous rap on the knuckles which you gave Virchow
at the close. What a pleasure it must be to write as you can do!
LETTER 295. TO E.S. MORSE. Down, October 21st, 1879.
Although you are so kind as to tell me not to write, I must just thank
you for the proofs of your paper, which has interested me greatly.
(295/1. See "The Shell Mounds of Omori" in the "Memoirs of the Science
Department of the Univ. of Tokio," Volume I., Part I., 1879. The ridges
on Arca are mentioned at page 25. In "Nature," April 15th, 1880, Mr.
Darwin published a letter by Mr. Morse relating to the review of the
above paper, which appeared in "Nature," XXI., page 350. Mr. Darwin
introduces Mr. Morse's letter with some prefatory remarks. The
correspondence is republished in the "American Naturalist," September,
1880.) The increase in the number of ridges in the three species of Arca
seems to be a very noteworthy fact, as does the increase of size in so
many, yet not all, the species. What a constant state of fluctuation
the whole organic world seems to be in! It is interesting to hear that
everywhere the first change apparently is in the proportional numbers of
the species. I was much struck with the fact in the upraised shells of
Coquimbo, in Chili, as mentioned in my "Geological Observations on South
America."
Of all the wonders in the world, the progress of Japan, in which you
have been aiding, seems to me about the most wonderful.
LETTER 296. TO A.R. WALLACE. Down, January 5th 1880.
As this note requires no sort of answer, you must allow me to express
my lively admiration of your paper in the "Nineteenth Century." (296/1.
"Nineteenth Century," January 1880, page 93, "On the Origin of Species
and Genera.") You certainly are a master in the difficult art of clear
exposition. It is impossible to urge too often that the selection from a
single varying individual or of a single varying organ will not suffice.
You have worked in capitally Allen's admirable researches. (296/2. J.A.
Allen, "On the Mammals and Winter Birds of East Florida, etc." ("Bull.
Mus. Comp. Zoolog. Harvard," Volume II.) As usual, you delight to honour
me more than I deserve. When I have written about the extreme slowness
of Natural Selection (296/3. Mr. Wallace makes a calculation based on
Allen's results as to the very short period in which the formation of a
race of birds differing 10 to 20 per cent. from the average in length of
wing and strength of beak might conceivably be effected. He thinks that
the slowness of the action of Natural Selection really depends on the
slowness of the changes naturally occurring in the physical conditions,
etc.) (in which I hope I may be wrong), I have chiefly had in my mind
the effects of intercrossing. I subscribe to almost everything you say
excepting the last short sentence. (296/4. The passage in question is
as follows: "I have also attempted to show that the causes which have
produced the separate species of one genus, of one family, or perhaps of
one order, from a common ancestor, are not necessarily the same as those
which have produced the separate orders, classes, and sub-kingdoms
from more remote common ancestors. That all have been alike produced by
'descent with modification' from a few primitive types, the whole body
of evidence clearly indicates; but while individual variation with
Natural Selection is proved to be adequate for the production of the
former, we have no proof and hardly any evidence that it is adequate
to initiate those important divergences of type which characterise the
latter." In this passage stress should be laid (as Mr. Wallace points
out to us) on the word PROOF. He by no means asserts that the causes
which have produced the species of a genus are inadequate to produce
greater differences. His object is rather to urge the difference between
proof and probability.)
LETTER 297. TO J.H. FABRE.
(297/1. A letter to M. Fabre is given in "Life and Letters," III., page
220, in which the suggestion is made of rotating the insect before a
"homing" experiment occurs.)
Down, February 20th, 1880.
I thank you for your kind letter, and am delighted that you will try the
experiment of rotation. It is very curious that such a belief should
be held about cats in your country (297/2. M. Fabre had written from
Serignan, Vaucluse: "Parmi la population des paysans de mon village,
l'habitude est de faire tourner dans un sac le chat que l'on se propose
de porter ailleurs, et dont on veut empecher le retour. J'ignore si
cette pratique obtient du succes."), I never heard of anything of the
kind in England. I was led, as I believe, to think of the experiment
from having read in Wrangel's "Travels in Siberia" (297/3. Admiral
Ferdinand Petrovich von Wrangell, "Le Nord de la Siberie, Voyage
parmi les Peuplades de la Russie asiatique, etc." Paris, 1843.) of the
wonderful power which the Samoyedes possess of keeping their direction
in a fog whilst travelling in a tortuous line through broken ice. With
respect to cats, I have seen an account that in Belgium there is a
society which gives prizes to the cat which can soonest find its way
home, and for this purpose they are carried to distant parts of the
city.
Here would be a capital opportunity for trying rotation.
I am extremely glad to hear that your book will probably be translated
into English.
P.S.--I shall be much ple |