258 LIFE OF SIR JOHN LUBBOCK ch. 



the close association of your work with his, rendered it 

 peculiarly appropriate that you should speak on this 

 occasion, and I very much hope that you may be willing 

 to do so, for I am sure that your participation will add 

 very greatly to the success of the celebration. 



It is not proposed to have any other speakers, beyond 

 the President and the medallists or their representa- 

 tives. 



The medallists chosen are : Wallace, Hooker, Haeckel, 

 Strasburger, Weismann, Galton and Lankester. 



Hoping very sincerely that you may be able to do 

 the Society this further service. — I am, yours very 

 truly, 



D. H. Scott. 



As the time for the meeting drew near he 

 wrote to Dr. Wallace inviting him to one of the 

 breakfast parties, which he still continued. Dr. 

 Wallace writes rather sadly in reply : 



Broadstone, Wimborne, 

 June 23rd, 1908. 



Dear Lord Avebury — Thank you very much for 

 your kind invitation. I regret that I have for years 

 been obliged to renounce such delights as breakfasts 

 with my friends. I have been obliged to adopt the 

 plan of ' no breakfast,' and ' no dinner ' either — only eating 

 once, in the middle of the day, which I find the only 

 means of keeping off attacks of asthma, and keeping 

 me in such health that I can still do a little work. 



I shall probably come up to the " celebration " on 

 the 1st, for the day only, as there are convenient trains, 

 and that will involve less fatigue and risk than a more 

 prolonged stay away from my household gods. 



Allow me to wish every success to your Bill for 

 preserving beautiful birds from destruction. 



To stop the import is the only way — short of the 

 still more drastic method of heavily fining every one 

 who wears feathers in public, with imprisonment for 

 a second offence. But we are not yet ripe for that. — 

 Yours very truly, 



Alfred R. Wallace. 



