Alfred Russel Wallace 



the hosts of huge and very specialised animals everywhere 

 recently extinct are clearly failures. They were successes 

 as long as the struggle was with animal competitors only, 

 physical conditions being highly favourable. But, when 

 physical conditions became adverse, as by drought, cold, etc., 

 they failed and became extinct. The entrance of new 

 enemies from another area might equally render them 

 failures. As to your question about myself and Darwin, I 

 had met him once only for a few minutes at the British 

 Museum before I went to the East. . . . — Yours very 

 faithfully, A. B. Wallace. 



To Mr. Clement Reid 



Parkstone, Dorset. November 18, 1894. 

 My dear Clement Eeid, — . . . The great, the grand, and 

 long-expected, the prophesied discovery has at last been made 

 — Miocene or Old Pliocene Man in India ! ! ! Good worked 

 flints found in situ by the palaeontologist to the Geological 

 Survey of India ! It is in a ferruginous conglomerate lying 

 beneath 4,000 feet of Pliocene strata and containing hippo- 

 therium, etc. But perhaps you have seen the article in 

 Natural Science describing it, by Rupert Jones, who, very 

 properly, accepts it ! Of course we want the bones, but we 

 have got the flints, and they may follow. Hurrah for the 

 missing link ! Excuse more. — Yours very faithfully, 



Alfred R. Wallace. 



The next letter relates to the rising school of biologists 

 who, in opposition to Darwin's views, held that species 

 might arise by what was at the time termed " discon- 

 tinuous variation." 



To Prop. Meldola 



Febriuiry 4, 1895. 



My dear Professor Meldola, — I hope to have copies of my 

 " Evolution " article in a few days, and will send you a 



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