Works on Biology, etc. 



Liniiean Society on '• The Malayan Papilionidse, as illus- 

 trating the Theory of Natural Selection." The intro- 

 ductory portion of this paper appeared in the first edition 

 of his volume entitled " Contributions to the Theory of 

 Natural Selection " (1870), but it was omitted in later 

 editions as being too technical for the general reader. 

 From certain remarks found here and there, both in '' My 

 Life " and other works, butterflies would appear to have 

 had a special charm and attraction for Wallace. Their 

 varied and gorgeous colourings were a ceaseless delight 

 to his eye, and when describing them one feels the sense 

 of pleasure which this gave him, together with the re- 

 collection of the far-off haunts in which he had first dis- 

 covered them. 



This series of papers on birds and insects, with others 

 on the physical geography of the Archipelago and its various 

 races of man, furnished all the necessary materials for the 

 general sketch of the natural history of these islands, and 

 the many problems arising therefrom, which made the 

 '* Malay Archipelago " the most popular of his books. In 

 addition to his own personal knowledge, however, some 

 interesting comparisons are drawn between the accounts 

 given by early explorers and the impressions left on his 

 own mind by the same places and people. On the publica- 

 tion of this work, in 1869, extensive and highly apprecia- 

 tive reviews appeared in all the leading papers and journals, 

 and to-day it is still looked upon as one of the most trust- 

 worthy and informative books of travel. 



When the " Malay Archipelago " was in progress, a 

 lengthy article on "Geological Climates and the Origin 

 of Species " (which formed the foundation for '' Island 

 Life" twelve years later) appeared in the Quarterly 

 Review (April, 1869). Several references in this to the 

 " Principles of Geology "—Sir Charles Lyell's great work 



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