Ɛpsilon

WCP2279

Letter (WCP2279.2169)

[1]1

34 Clarges St.

Piccadilly

[1871]2

Sir,

I take the liberty of forwarding you a copy of a paper3 which I read last year before the Royal Medical & Chirurgical Society, thinking that you may possibly find some interest in the speculations contained in the later part of it as to the [2] connection in animals between their sense of smell and their external coloring.

The great pleasure I have derived from your papers on the protective influence of color in animals,4 must be my excuse for taking this liberty.

Believe me | Yrs faithfully | W. Ogle5 [signature]

[3]6

1
In blue pencil in ARW’s handwriting, “1871”.
2
The date is established by the relationship of this letter to Ogle's paper 'Anosmia, or Cases illustrating the Physiology and Pathology of the Sense of Smell' (Ogle, W. 1870. Anosmia, or Cases illustrating the Physiology and Pathology of the Sense of Smell. Medico-Chirurgical Transactions. 53: 263–290).
3
Ogle's paper 'Anosmia, or Cases illustrating the Physiology and Pathology of the Sense of Smell' was read to the Royal Medical & Chirurgical Society on 25 January 1870 and subsequently published in the Medico-Chirurgical Transactions. (Ogle, W. 1870. Anosmia, or Cases illustrating the Physiology and Pathology of the Sense of Smell. Medico-Chirurgical Transactions. 53: 263–290).
4
[Wallace, A. R.] 1867. Mimicry, and other protective resemblances among animals. Westminster Review (n.s.) 32 (173, 1 July): 1-43.
5
Ogle, William (1827-1912). British physician and naturalist.
6
In pencil in ARW’s handwriting, “Ogle”.

Editorial information

Status: Edited (but not proofed) transcription [Letter (WCP2279.2169)]

For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon

Revision history

Transcribed by Ward, Christopher [2015-06-17] Transcription checked by Benny, Ruth [2015-06-17] Transcription checked by Sherwood, Danni [2020-08-10] Transcription checked by Beros, Matt [2020-09-15] Transcription checked by Chua, Christine [2026-04-18]

Please cite as “WCP2279,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP2279