im 



tc 



44 Mr. W. L. Distant on the Theory of 



)rtant and true, but which at the present time are of a 

 purely speculative character. 



After a careful perusal of Mr. Meldola's article, it appears 

 also, and to my surprise, that it is necessary for me to repeat 

 that, from the time I was cognizant of the theory of " Mimicry," 

 as formulated by Mr. Bates, as understood and enunciated by 

 Mr. Darwin*, and proved by the recorded observations of 

 naturalists, and the corroborative explanation given thereby to 

 previously inexplicable entomological phenomena, I could not 

 but believe, and have always expressed my faith, in that 

 doctrine. It was, however, always clearly perceived that 

 mimicry," like its far greater and parental relative u natural 

 selection," though affording an answer to a great mass of 

 hitherto inexplicable biological phenomena, still did not ex- 

 plain every thing ; and few evolutionists would, in the present 

 state of our knowledge, expect such a consummation ; and 

 the extension of the theory of u mimicry," on lines not laid 

 down by its founder, and unsupported by facts, must still, 

 however reasonable in appearance and desiderated in philo- 

 sophy, bear the same amount of healthy scepticism that has 

 hitherto helped to make our knowledge what it is. Judging 

 from the careful, painstaking, and cautious observations made 

 by those two distinguished naturalists, A. R. Wallace and 

 Fritz Miiller (on whose behalf Mr. Meldola appears as an 

 advocate) , I think we may conclude that they also would not 

 express impatience at usual scientific caution. 



a the spring of this year Mr. Wallace published t a state- 

 ment of the expressed views of Fritz Miiller as to a possible 

 extension of the theory of mimicry amongst butterflies of the 

 same genus, which he accepted as an explanation of what he 

 had hitherto understood with Mr. Bates as due to a unknown 

 local causes." In the course of a most interesting argument 

 (for Mr. Wallace is a travelled naturalist and has worked as 

 a specialist in Rhopalocera) he stated that though it had been 

 u suggested that young birds have an hereditary instinct, en- 

 abling them to distinguish uneatable butterflies antecedent to 

 experience," yet it seemed u in the highest degree impro- 

 bable." Upon this point alone, without reference to the other 

 portion of the subject, I thought it at least opportune to re- 

 mind Mr. Wallace $ of what I felt he must be aware, but had 

 probably for the moment overlooked, viz. the very careful 

 experiments made by the late Mr. D. A. Spalding in proving 

 the inherited acquisition of ideas and experience in youn 

 chickens. 





- 



Or 



5 



t 



' Descent of Man/ 2nd edit. p. 323. 

 ' Nature/ vol. xxvi. p. 86. 



X * Nature/ vol. xxvi. p. 105. 



