ALFRED R. WALLACE.

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TO DR. W.B.  HEMSLEY

Frith Hill, Godalming.  September 13, 1888.

Dear Mr. Hemsley,—­Many thanks for your interesting letter.  The facts you state seem quite to support the usual view, that thorns and spines have been developed as a protection against other animals.  The few spiny plants in New Zealand may be for protection against land molluscs, of which there are several species as large as any in the tropics.  Of course in Australia we should expect only a comparative scarcity of spines, as there are many herbivorous marsupials in the country.—­Believe me yours very faithfully,

ALFRED R. WALLACE.

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The next and several of the succeeding letters refer to the translations of Weismann’s “Essays upon Heredity and Kindred Biological Problems” (Oxford, 1889), and to “Darwinism” (London, 1889).

TO PROF.  POULTON

Frith Hill, Godalming.  November 4, 1888.

My dear Mr. Poulton,—­I returned you the two first of Weismann’s essays, with a few notes and corrections in pencil on that on “Duration of Life.”  Looking over some old papers, I have just come across a short sketch on two pages, on “The Action of Natural Selection in producing Old Age, Decay and Death,” written over twenty years ago.[16] I had the same general idea as Weismann, but not that beautiful suggestion of the duration of life, in each case, being the minimum necessary for the preservation of the species. That I think masterly.  The paper on “Heredity” is intensely interesting, and I am waiting anxiously for the concluding part.  I will refer to these papers in notes in my book, though perhaps yours will be out first....—­Yours faithfully,

A.R.  WALLACE.

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TO PROF.  POULTON

Frith Hill, Godalming.  November 8, 1888.

Dear Mr. Poulton,—­I return herewith (but separately) the “proofs” I have of Weismann’s Essays.  The last critical one is rather heavy, and adds nothing of importance to the earlier one on Duration of Life.  I enclose my “Note” on the subject, which was written, I think, about 1867, certainly before 1870.  You will see it was only a few ideas jotted down for further elaboration and then forgotten.  I see however it does contain the germ of Weismann’s argument as to duration of life being determined by the time of securing continuance of the species.—­Yours faithfully,

A.R.  WALLACE.

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TO PROF.  POULTON

Frith Hall, Godalming.  January 20, 1889.