The Wallace-Darwin Correspondence 



Down, Bromley, Kent, S.E. October 12 and 13, 1867. 



My dear Walla<ie, — I ordered the journal 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 AngrcBCum'^ 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 bulldog,* with respect 

 to variations not having been specially ordained. Your 



1 Angrsecum sesquipedale, a Madagascar orchid, with a whip-like nectary, 

 11 to 12 in. in length, which, according to Darwin (" Fertilisation of Orchids," 

 2nd Edit., p. 163), is adapted to the visits of a moth with a proboscis of corre- 

 sponding length. He points out that there is no difficulty in believing in the 

 existence of such a moth as F. Muller had described (Nature, 1873, p. 223), a 

 Brazilian sphinx-moth with a trunk 10 to 11 in. in length. Moreover, Forbes 

 had given evidence to show that such an insect does exist in Madagascar (Nature, 

 1873, p. 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 

 shows (p. 476, Quarterly Journal of Science, 1867) 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 to 

 plant. 



» " Variation of Animals and Plants," 1st Edit., ii. 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 ? '* 



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