Ɛpsilon

WCP4425

Letter (WCP4425.4705)

[1]

Broadstone, Wimborne

August 5th. 1904

My dear Poulton1

Thanks for note of Mrs. Hayward2 which I return. What a miserable abortion of a theory is "Mutation", which the Americans now seem to be taking up in place of Lamarckism "superseded". Any thing rather than Darwinism!

I am glad Mr. Dixey3 shows it up so well in this week’s "Nature", but too mildly!

Yours very truly| Alfred R. Wallace [signature]

1
Poulton, Edward Bagnall (1856-1943). British entomologist. Hope Professor of Zoology at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Jesus College.
2
Probably wife of Hayward, Charles (-). Lived at Godalming. Bookseller and chemist in Neath. Member of the Society of Friends. ARW’s childhood friend.
3
Dixey, Frederick Augustus (1855-1935). President of the Royal Entomological Society of London and a distinguished British entomologist.

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP4425.4705)]

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

Revision history

Transcribed by Lord, Annette [2012-07-18] Transcription checked by Catchpole, Caroline [2013-01-15] Transcription checked by Chua, Christine [2026-04-18]

Published letter (WCP4425.6446)

[1] [p. 79]

Broadstone, Wimborne.

August 5, 1904

My dear Poulton,— ... What a miserable abortion of a theory is "Mutation," which the Americans now seem to be taking up in place of Lamarckism, "superseded." Anything rather than Darwinism! I am glad Dr. F. A. Dixey shows it up so well in this week's Nature, but too mildly!—Yours very truly,

ALFRED R. WALLACE.

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Published letter (WCP4425.6446)]

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

Revision history

Transcribed by Sherwood, Danni [2020-07-28] Transcription checked by Lo, Yen [2020-10-30] Transcription checked by Chua, Christine [2026-04-18]

Please cite as “WCP4425,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP4425