alfrp:d rt:ssp:l wallace 271 



teoría de la selección natural, (•onii)artién(]()se entre ambos egregios 

 naturalistas, entre el investigador luciente del Ai-elui)iél;igo Galápa- 

 gos y el no menos escrupuloso investigador del Areliipiéhigo Indio, 

 la gloria del famoso desculu-imiento. 



No es posible en una eonferencii) de esta índole dar cuenta de los 

 diversos e interesantísimos asuntos tratados en las oljras y publica- 

 ciones de Wallace, cuya relación expuse; por esto me referiré úni- 

 camente a dos de sus libros: Contributions of the Theory of Natural Se- 

 ledioii (1871) y Man^s Place in the Uaivers (1903). En el primero 

 de ellos formula la ley que rige la introducción délas nuevas especies 

 y observa la tendencia de las variedades a separarse indefinidamen- 

 te del tipo primitivo, la mímica y las otras semejanzas protecto- 

 ras de los animales; estudia el instinto comparativamente, expo- 

 niendo su teoría de los nidos de las aves; 3' trata la selección na- 

 tural en su aplicación al boml)re, Examinando los hecbos de mime- 

 tismo, penetrándose de las circunstancias que en ellos concurren, 

 estima el i)rincipio de utilidad, la relación entre el color y un abri- 

 go seguro, determinando las leyes de la mímica: agrupación ordena- 

 da, metódica, de liecbos que expresan los lazos que los unen con el 

 concepto general de la supervivencia de los más aptos, déla perpe- 

 tuación de las razas favorecidas en la lucha por la existencia; y 



October. 2857. by Mr. Darwin, in whicli he repeats \úi view.s and wliifh shows that these 

 remained unaltered from 1839 to 1857. 



«3. Aii essay by Mr. Wallace, entitled On the Tendency of Varieties to Depart Indefinitely 

 from the Original Type. This was writteii at Témate in February, 18ó8, for the perusal of his 

 friend and correspondant, Mr. Darwin, and sent to liim whith the expressed wish tliat it 

 should be forwarded to Sir Cliarles Lyell, if Mr. Darwin tliought it sutftciently novel and 

 interesting. So highly did Mr. Darwin appreciatethe valué of the views tlierein set forth that 

 he proposed, in a letter to Sir Charles Lyell, to obtain Mr. Wallace's eonsent to allow the essay 

 to be pnblished as soon as posible, Of this step we highly appro ved, provided Mr. Darwin 

 did not withhold from the piiblic, as he was strongly inclined to do (in favor of Mr. Wallace), 

 the menioir which he had hiraself written on the sanie subject, and which, as before stated, 

 one of US had perused, in 18-14, and the eontents of which we had both of us bcen privy to for 

 niany years. 



«On representing this to Mr. Darwin, he have us permission to make what uso we though 

 proper of this memoir, etc. ; and in adopting our present course, of presenting it to tlie Linníean 

 Society, we havo explained to him that we are not solely eonsidering the relative clainis to 

 priority of himself and is friend, but the interest of science generally ; for we feel it to be 

 desirable that views founded on a wide deduetion from facts, and matured by years of reflec- 

 ting,shouLdconstituteatonce a goal from which others may start: and that. while the scienti fie 

 worhl is waiting for the appearance of Mr. Darwin's complet work, sonie of the leading results 

 of his labours, as well as those of his able correspondent, should together be laid before the 

 publif. 



«We have tlie lionour to be yours very obediently. 



Charles Lyell, 



Jos. D. HOOKER.» 



