8 NATURE 
cathedral city of St. Asaph, are situated the Cefn Caves. It 
had been rumoured of late that parties visiting this place had on 
several occasions seen some strange animal creeping in its dark 
recesses, and on Saturday visitors reported having had a good view 
of h’m, and stated it was a huge beast of the lizard tribe. On 
the Monday following Thomas Hughes, from Rhyl, went to try 
to capture him. Armed with a stout stick he approache‘ its re- 
ported lair, but not seeing it he decided to remain in ambush at 
te mouth of the cave, sheltered by a projecting ledge. After 
having thus waited an hour his patience was rewarded with 
success. He could hear in the far end a hum as of a hive of 
bees. The sound growing louder, and now apparently quite 
close, Hughes peeped round the ledge, and saw the monster 
within three yards of him. He (Hughes) sprang towards him, 
and dexterously wielding his stick he dealt him a well-aimed 
blow upon the neck just behind the head, which caused him to 
stagger and reel. One more blow in the abdomen finished him: 
Hughes carried him home in triumph. and is now making a profit | 
out of the affair by exhibiting him at Rhyl. The monster is of the 
lizard tribe, as mentioned above. Only that our country is desti- 
tute of those creatures we should have said it was a young 
crocodile. It measures from the nose to the end of its tail 
exactly 4ft. 7in., the tail being rather more than half 
that length. Its limbs measure 12in. ; the front ones 
have five toes; and the hind ones four; it is web- 
footed. Above it is black and white beneath. Its coat is 
mailed, quite hard, and’ protruding in sharp corners and angles, 
like the crocodile’s. The head is low and flat, the mouth large 
and round at the end, measuring 7in. by 3in.; the teeth are nu- 
merous, but small, and bear great resemblance to those of a large 
codfish. There is ample scope here for naturalists to investigate 
the how and wherefore this strange amphhian came to be dis- 
covered in the present epoch among the hills of North Wales.” 
Such is the vivid account of the capture given in the 77mes, 
and reprinted in several local papers ; and so far as I can judge 
by my letters, believed in by many simple-minded people. It 
is altogether a most impudent hoax. The man [Hughes is a 
sweep, who purchased a reptile which happened to die in a 
travelling menagerie at St. Asaph, and exhibited it at Rhyl as 
having been caught in the Cefn Caves, until at last it became a 
public nuisance, and was committed to the earth. The story 
related in the 7ymes was invented merely to make the exhibition 
lucrative to Hughes the sweep. Its wide circulation, which in- 
cidentally shows an astonishing ignorance of natural history, is 
the only excuse for my writing this letter. 
W. BDoyp Dawkins 
MAN AND NATURAL SELECTION 
aye he following reply to M. Claparéde’s “ Remarques a 
propos delouvrage de M. Alfred Russel Wallace sur 
la Théorie de Ja Sélection Naturelle.” was written some 
months ago, and was ir tended as an appendix to a French 
’ translation of my “ Essays” by M. Lucien De Candolle, to 
be published by Reinwald, of Paris. As it is now very 
uncertain when the translation will appear, and as M. 
Claparéde’s critique has been highly spoken of in several 
English periodicals, I think it advisable that my answer 
to it should be no longer delayed. 
In the “ Archives des Sciences dela Bibliothéque Uni- 
verselle.” for June, 1870, M. Edouard Claparéde has done 
me the honour to make my “ Contributions to the Theory 
of Natural Selection” the subject of some critical re- 
marks. To these I now propose briefly to reply. 
I must premise that I do not intend to discuss here 
any of those difficulties which my critic finds in the theory 
of sexual selection, and which apply as much to Mr. 
Darwin’s views as:to my own. because, in his new work 
now announced, that theory will, I have no doubt, be fully 
developed, and be supported by a mass of facts and 
observations, in the absence of which further argument is 
useless. I proceed therefore to the objections that apply 
more especially to my own views. 
At p. 15 of his “ Remarques” M. Claparéde says, “Son | 
étude est consacrée 4 lacoloration des oiseaux et, absorbé 
dans son sujet, lauteur oublie que d'autres facteurs peu- 
| 
| 


vent, aussi bien que la couleur, attirer l’attention des _ 
| musique. 
[Vov. 3, 1870 

ennemis sur la gent ailée. Un nid couvert d’un déme 
volumineux échappera tout aussi peu, grace Ases dimen- 
sions, 4 l’ceil d’un animal en quéte de proie, que quelques 
plumes brillament colorées. Les gamins de nos villages 
en savent quelque chose, comme I’a remarqué M. le Duc 
d’Argyll, et ils ne 1éussissent que trop, a la présence d’un 
gros nid, A deviner l’oiseau caché et sa couvée.” This 
objection does not seem to me very serious, because in the 
first place, nests, however large, generally harmonise in 
colour with surrounding objects, and are not so easily 
seen at a little distance as a bright patch of colour; and, 
secondly, because “gamins” are not the chief natural 
enemies of the feathered tribes, while hawks and falcons 
do not break open nests, although they do seize and devour 
birds, 
After giving (p. 23—25) what I must allow to be a very 
fair abstract of my reasons for believing that Natural 
Selection is not the only power that has operated in the 
development of man, M, Claparéde intimates that I have 
so completely abandoned my own Darwinist principles 
that the reader will easily refute my arguments. He 
therefore confines himself to certain “reflections.” I re- 
gret that he did not think it necessary to do more than 
this, because I have as yet in vain sought from my re- 
viewers for any other than general objections to my argu- 
menis on this subject, and am at a loss to know how they 
can be so easily refuted. M. Claparéde’s “ Reflections,” 
however, do, fortunately, take the form of arguments. 
He says (p. 25), “M. Wallace n’a pas recu'é devant 
Yexplication de la formation graduclle du chant de la 
fauvette et du rossignol par voie d= selection naturelle, 
La chose est toute simple, bien fou serait celui qui 
voudrait recourir ici A Vintervention d'une Force supér- 
ieure, ami du Beau! Les fauvettes femelles et les 
rossignols de méme sexe ont toujours accordé de pré/ér- 
ence leur faveurs aux m@‘es bons chanteurs. C’était la 
conséquence de leur gotits musicaux et des aptitudes 
harmoniques de leur oreille. Malheur aux pauvres males 
A regi:tre peu étendu ou & timbre fé'é! les douceurs de 
la patern:té leur ont été impitoyablement refusées ; ils 
sont morts de jalousie dans la tristesse et l’isolement. 
Ainsi s‘ést formée la race des bons chanteurs qui peup- 
lent nos bocages. Pourquoi n’y a-t-i] pas des ch -nteuses? 
Sans doute que les oiseaux males ne se sont jamais 
souciés de la voix de leurs €pouses, soit parcequ’ils 
mava'ent pas l’oreille juste, soit plitot, car cela sera con- 
tradictoire, parceque leurs gouts musicaux étaient suffisa- 
ment satisfaits par leurs concerts personels. Peut é!re 
aussi les femelles n’avaient-elles point d’aptitude virtuelle 
au perfectionnement de la voix; peut étre avaient- 
elles atteint l’ext:'éme limite de ¢éveloppement vocal 
compatible avec loganisation d’un oiseau du sexe 
féminin ; ou bien entn la sélection naturelle produite 
sous l’influence des poursuites exercées par des ennemis 
de toutes sortes contre les belles couveuses, sélection 
favorable, selon M, Wallace, 4 la production de couleurs 
sombres, a-t-elle mysiérieusement éteint méme I’éclat de 
sa voix? Quoiqu’il en soit. il est évident pour M. Wal- 
lace que la sélection sexuelle, en d’autres termes le gott 
des dames fauvettes pour la musique, a aimené le grand 
perfectionnement de la voix des virtuoses de l’autre sexe, 
Mais dans Pespéce humaine, la cho e aurait-elle pu se 
passer ainsi? Le chant harmonieux et enchinteur d’une 
prima donna aurait-il pu naitre et se per/ectionn:r par 
voie de sélection? Le gofit musicale des auditeurs 
pourrait-il avoir eu une influence selectrice sur ce 
phénoméne? Jamais, au grand jamais! Seule J’inter- 
vention d'une Force supérieure a pu amener un résultat 
pareil, car jamais homme primitif n’a eu de godt pour Ja 
M. Wallace le sait bien: il a vécu si long- 
temps parmi les sauvages qui ont pu le Jui dire! Au 
contraire, les femelles fauvettes primitives «t les femelles 
rossignols primitives, avaient déja Je gotit musical long- 
temps avant que leurs époux eussent appris A chanter. 

