Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History Book. HUXLEY. Down, June 12th [1867?].
We come up on Saturday, the 15th, for a week. I want much to see you for
a short time to talk about my youngest boy and the School of Mines. I
know it is rather unreasonable, but you must let me come a little after
10 o'clock on Sunday morning, the 16th. If in any way inconvenient, send
me a line to "6, Queen Anne Street W.,"; but if I do not hear, I will
(stomacho volente) call, but I will not stay very long and spoil your
whole morning as a holiday. Will you turn two or three times in your
mind this question: what I called "pangenesis" means that each cell
throws off an atom of its contents or a gemmule, and that these
aggregated form the true ovule or bud, etc.? Now I want to know
whether I could not invent a better word. "Cyttarogenesis" (202/1. From
kuttaros, a bee's-cell: cytogenesis would be a natural form of the word
from kutos.)--i.e. cell-genesis--is more true and expressive, but long.
"Atomogenesis" sounds rather better, I think, but an "atom" is an object
which cannot be divided; and the term might refer to the origin of
atoms of inorganic matter. I believe I like "pangenesis" best, though
so indefinite; and though my wife says it sounds wicked, like pantheism;
but I am so familiar now with this word, that I cannot judge. I
supplicate you to help me.
LETTER 203. TO A.R. WALLACE. Down, October, 12th and 13th [1867].
I ordered the journal (203/1. "Quarterly Journal of Science," October,
1867, page 472. A review of the Duke of Argyll's "Reign of Law.") a long
time ago, but by some oversight received it only yesterday, and read it.
You will think my praise not worth having, from being so indiscriminate;
but if I am to speak the truth, I must say I admire every word. You have
just touched on the points which I particularly wished to see noticed.
I am glad you had the courage to take up Angraecum (203/2. Angraecum
sesquipedale, a Madagascan orchid, with a whiplike nectary, 11 to
12 inches in length, which, according to Darwin ("Fertilisation of
Orchids," Edition II., page 163), is adapted to the visits of a moth
with a proboscis of corresponding length. He points out that there is no
difficulty in believing in the existence of such a moth as F. Muller
has described ("Nature," 1873, page 223)--a Brazilian sphinx-moth with a
trunk of 10 to 11 inches in length. Moreover, Forbes has given evidence
to show that such an insect does exist in Madagascar ("Nature," VIII.,
1873, page 121). The case of Angraecum was put forward by the Duke
of Argyll as being necessarily due to the personal contrivance of the
Deity. Mr. Wallace (page 476) shows that both proboscis and nectary
might be increased in length by means of Natural Selection. It may be
added that Hermann Muller has shown good grounds for believing that
mutual specialisation of this kind is beneficial both to insect and
plant.) after the Duke's attack; for I believe the principle in this
case may be widely applied. I like the figure, but I wish the artist had
drawn a better sphinx. With respect to beauty, your remarks on hideous
objects and on flowers not being made beautiful except when of practical
use to them, strike me as very good. On this one point of beauty I
can hardly think that the Duke was quite candid. I have used in the
concluding paragraph of my present book precisely the same argument as
you have, even bringing in the bull-dog (203/3. "Variation of Animals
and Plants," Edition I., Volume II., page 431: "Did He cause the frame
and mental qualities of the dog to vary in order that a breed might be
formed of indomitable ferocity, with jaws fitted to pin down the bull
for man's brutal sport?"), with respect to variations not having been
specially ordained. Your metaphor of the river (203/4. See Wallace,
op. cit., pages 477-8. He imagines an observer examining a great
river-system, and finding everywhere adaptations which reveal the design
of the Creator. "He would see special adaptation to the wants of man
in broad, quiet, navigable rivers, through fertile alluvial plains that
would support a large population, while the rocky streams and mountain
torrents were confined to those sterile regions suitable only for
a small population of shepherds and herdsmen.') is new to me, and
admirable; but your other metaphor, in which you compare classification
and complex machines, does not seem to me quite appropriate, though
I cannot point out what seems deficient. The point which seems to
me strong is that all naturalists admit that there is a natural
classification, and it is this which descent explains. I wish you had
insisted a little more against the "North British" (203/5. At page 485
Mr. Wallace deals with Fleeming Jenkin's review in the "North British
Review," 1867. The review strives to show that there are strict limits
to variation, since the most rigorous and long-continued selection
does not indefinitely increase such a quality as the fleetness of a
racehorse. On this Mr. Wallace remarks that "this argument fails to meet
the real question," which is, not whether indefinite change is possible,
"but whether such differences as do occur in nature could have been
produced by the accumulation of variations by selection.") on the
reviewer assuming that each variation which appears is a strongly marked
one; though by implication you have made this very plain. Nothing in
your whole article has struck me more than your view with respect to the
limit of fleetness in the racehorse and other such cases: I shall try
and quote you on this head in the proof of my concluding chapter. I
quite missed this explanation, though in the case of wheat I hit upon
something analogous. I am glad you praise the Duke's book, for I was
much struck with it. The part about flight seemed to me at first very
good; but as the wing is articulated by a ball-and-socket joint, I
suspect the Duke would find it very difficult to give any reason against
the belief that the wing strikes the air more or less obliquely. I have
been very glad to see your article and the drawing of the butterfly
in "Science Gossip." By the way, I cannot but think that you push
protection too far in some cases, as with the stripes on the tiger. I
have also this morning read an excellent abstract in the "Gardeners'
Chronicle" of your paper on nests. (203/6. An abstract of a paper on
"Birds' Nests and Plumage," read before the British Association: see
"Gard. Chron." 1867, page 1047.) I was not by any means fully converted
by your letter, but I think now I am so; and I hope it will be published
somewhere in extenso. It strikes me as a capital generalisation, and
appears to me even more original than it did at first...
I have finished Volume I. of my book ["Variation of Animals and
Plants"], and I hope the whole will be out by the end of November. If
you have the patience to read it through, which is very doubtful, you
will find, I think, a large accumulation of facts which will be of
service to you in future papers; and they could no |