TEANSACTIONS OF SECTION D. /31 



stances — sufficientl}' disappointing, as all must admit, to liim — was in every way 

 worthy of Mr. Darwin's. If in future you should meet ^Yith any cynic who may 

 point the finger of scorn at the petty quarrels in which naturalists unfortunately 

 at times engage, particularly in regard to the priority of their discoveries, you can 

 always refer him to this greatest of all cases, where scientific rivalry not only did 

 not interfere with, hut even strengthened, the good-feeliug which existed between 

 two of the most original investigators. 



I said but a few minutes since that it was fitting that the memoir of Mr. 

 Darwin should appear this year — this year of jubilee — and a very remarkable 

 anniversary I now have to point out to you. I learn fi-om the Memoir that Mr. 

 Darwin's pocket-book for 1837 — ^just fifty years ago — has this entry: — 



' In -Tuly opened first note-book on Transmutation of Species. Had been greatly 

 struck from about the month of previous March on character of South American 

 fossils, and species on Galapagos Archipelago. These facts (especially latter), 

 origin of all my views.' 



Other passages in his already published works confirm this memorandum ; but we 

 had not hitherto Imown with certainty when the views originated. We may now, 

 therefore, celebrate among other jubilees that of Mr. Darwin's adopting the theory 

 of the Origin of Species by Natural Selection, though I am bound to tell you that 

 it was not until a few months later — about the beginning of 1838 — that, after 

 reading Malthus's work, the full conviction of the truth and sure ground of his 

 speculative views came upon him. 



I would not have my audience disperse with the impression that my business 

 here is merely to point out what has been done by the genius of the great man of 

 whose character and labours I have just been speaking. Enormous as are the 

 strides which he lias enabled us to make, you will all admit that it behoves us to 

 follow in the paths he has indicated. We may depend upon it that what we know 

 bears a very small proportion to that which we do not know, and I venture to 

 recall your attention to that subject, which, as I have just said, was the origin of 

 all liis views. That subject is the Geographical Distribution of animals and plants, 

 not only at the present time, but in bygone ages. As regai-ds Botany, I do not 

 dare in the presence of so many distinguished authorities to say more than this — - 

 that I believe the greatest and most important results of their labours in this direc- 

 tion are inadequately known to zoologists, while in Zoology I am certain that there 

 are many large groups of whose distribution we are almost entirely ignorant.' That 

 excellent work has been done in some groups all will admit, and in regai-d to the 

 difficulties which have precluded the investigation of the subject in other groups I 

 am well aware. But not only do we need further investigation in regard to them, we 

 want much more correlation of results than we yet possess, and still more a compari- 

 son of the results obtained by botanical and zoological enquirers. Here there is a wide 

 field, and a field worthy of cultivation. I do not know that a more competent body 

 of cultivators can be found tlian within this section of the British Association, and 

 if the)' can be persuaded to make common cause, the study of Biology will be much 

 advanced. We have been told that it is as useless to investigate the origin of life as 

 the origin of matter. Thnt may be true or it may not ; but it seems to me that to 

 learn the way in which li*'e has spread over the globe ought to be within the 

 capacity of man, and we can hardly learn tliat way except by far more intercom- 

 munication of special knowledge than has hitherto been made. It is evident that 

 with the existing minute subdivision of biological research the subject is beyond the 

 power of any one man; but I should rejoice if anything I could say on this occasion 

 might put in train some alliance between Botanists and Zoologists for the object 

 I have just .suggested. It may be said that we have not sufiicient information as to 

 certain parts of the world to enable such an alliance to effect its work satisfactorily. 



' I say this after having studied Professor Heilprin's recent work, The Geo- 

 graphical and Gfiologlcal Distribution of Animals (International Scientiiic iSeries, 

 1887) — in many respects the fullest on the subject — and also Mr. Helmsley's admir- 

 able Jntroduction to the Botany of the Biologia Centrali- Americana, which wiU 

 shortly appear. The opportunity of reading the latter I owe to the kindness of Mr. 

 Salvin. 



