Alfred Russel Wallace 



could. He much enjoyed listening to the accounts given by 

 travellers of the scenes, animals and plants and native life 

 they had seen, and deplored the so-called civilising of the 

 natives, which, in his opinion, generally meant their exploita- 

 tion by Europeans, leading to their deterioration and 

 extermination. 



His nervousness with strangers sometimes led them to 

 form quite erroneous impressions. It occasionally found 

 expression in a nervous laugh which had nothing to do with 

 amusement or humour, but was often heard when he was 

 most serious and felt most deeply. One or two interviewers 

 described it as a " chuckle,'' an expression which suggested 

 feelings most opposite to those which he really experienced. 



Although he could draw and sketch well, he did not 

 take much pleasure in it, and only exercised his skill when 

 there was a definite object in view. His sketches show 

 a very delicate touch, and denote painstaking accuracy, 

 while some are quite artistic. He much preferred drawing 

 with compasses and squares, there being a practical object 

 in his mind for which the plans or drawings were only the 

 first steps. Even in his ninety-first year he found much 

 enjoj'ment in drawing plans, and spent many hours in de- 

 signing alterations to a small cottage which his daughter 

 had bought. 



He was interested in literary puzzles and humorous 

 stories, and he preserved in an old scrap-book any that 

 appealed to him. He would sometimes read some of them on 

 festive occasions, or when we had children's parties, and 

 sometimes he laughed so heartily himself that he could not 

 go on reading. 



In reviewing the years during which Dr. Wallace lived at 

 Broadstone, the last decade, when he was between eighty and 

 ninety years of age, this period seems to have been one of the 

 most eventful, and as full of work and mental activity as 

 any previous period. He never tired of his garden, in which 

 he succeeded in growing a number of rare and curious shrubs 

 and plants. Our mother shared his delight and interest in 

 the garden, and knew a great deal about flowers. She had 

 an excellent memory for their botanical names, and he often 



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