With remarkable clearness Dr. Wallace could recall events and scenes back to the time when he was only 4 years of age.  His first childish experiment occurred about that time, due to his being greatly impressed by the story of the “Fox and the Pitcher” in AEsop’s Fables.  Finding a jar standing in the yard outside their house, he promptly proceeded to pour a small quantity of water into it, and then added a handful of small stones.  The water not rising to the surface, as it did in the fable, he found a spade and scraped up a mixture of earth and pebbles which he added to the stones already in the jar.  The result, however, proving quite unsatisfactory, he gave up the experiment in disgust and refused to believe in the truth of the fable.  His restless brain and vivid imagination at this early period is shown by some dreams which he could still recall when 82 years of age; whilst the strong impression left on his mind by certain localities, with all their graphic detail of form and colour, enabled him to enjoy over again many of the simple pleasures that made up his early life in the beautiful grounds of the ancient castle in which he used to play.

The first great event in his life was the journey undertaken by ferry-boat and stage-coach from Usk to Hertford, to which town the family removed when he was 6 years old, and where they remained for the next eight years, until he left school.

The morning after their arrival an incident occurred which left its trace as of a slender golden thread running throughout the fabric of his long life.  Alfred, with child-like curiosity about his new surroundings, wandered into the yard behind their house, and presently heard a voice coming from the other side of the low wall, saying, “Hallo! who are you?” and saw a boy about his own age peering over the top.  Explanations followed, and soon, by the aid of two water-butts, the small boys found themselves sitting side by side on the top of the wall, holding a long and intimate conversation.  Thus began his friendship with George Silk, and by some curious trend of circumstances the two families became neighbours on several subsequent occasions,[1] so that the friendship was maintained until in due course the boys separated each to his own way in life—­the one to wander in foreign lands, the other to occupy a responsible position at home.

After spending about a year at private schools, Alfred Wallace was sent with his brother John to Hertford Grammar School.  His recollections of these school days are full of interest, especially as contrasted with the school life of to-day.  He says:  “We went to school even in the winter at seven in the morning, and three days a week remained till five in the afternoon; some artificial light was necessary, and this was effected by the primitive method of every boy bringing his own candle or candle-ends with any kind of candlestick he liked.  An empty ink-bottle was often used, or the candle was even stuck on to the desk with a little of its own grease.  So that it enabled us to learn our lessons or do our sums, no one seemed to trouble about how we provided the light.”