WCP4435

[1]

Broadstone, Wimborne

Dec^r. 18th. 1907

My dear Poulton¹

I have read your "Introduction" over again with much pleasure & increased admiration. There is only one place where I think your argument is a little too much elaborated — & therefore weakened.

On p. XXXIX — from "The position is as follows" (l. 3) down to end of par. is to me a little hard to follow, & therefore a little obscure. I should be inclined to omit it entirely — but of course it is not of much importance either way.

[2] The importance of "Mendelism" to Evolution, seems to me to be something of the same kind but very much less in degree & importance — as Galton’s² fine discovery of the law of the average share each parent has in the characters of the child — one quarter — the 4 grand parents each 1/16 & so on — That illuminates the whole problem of heredity combined with individual diversity, in a way nothing else does. I almost wish [3] you could introduce that!

More than two years ago I wrote a paper on "Evolution and Character"³ — by request, as one of a small series of booklets. The series did not come off, and my article is (I think) to appear in the January issue of the Fortnightly Review. It will I dare say be attacked, because it leads — logically I believe — to an unpopular conclusion. If you have time to read it I shall be glad to know what you or any of your [4] Oxford friends think of it.

I am at last ^nearly at the end of my rather big "Spruce"⁴ book — & have to begin the trouble of getting Illustrations, Maps, &c, &c.

Yours very truly| Alfred R. Wallace [signature]

Prof. E. B. Poulton

P.S. I have been asked to write a short article on "Modern Opponents of Darwinism" — I shall therefore be glad of a proof of your "Introduction" to take a few facts from, if you can spare me one.

A.R.W.