WCP6794

[1]

Granies,

Rosshire, N.E.

Oct 12/[18]88

Dear Mr Gulick,

I have received & read your reply to Mr. Wallace. It appears to me that it might gain in effectiveness if you were to omit discussion of the two alternative meanings of "isolation". Although I understand what your distinctions mean, (having read your paper), not one in a hundred readers of Nature would do so: consequently they will only be confused by the letter as a whole.

I think it would quite meet the case if you were to take Isolation in the sense which you first define, and [2] which is no doubt the same meant by Wallace, as well as the use generally understood by naturalists. By omitting the intermediate discussion of the other two senses of "Isolation," your letter would then run on, without further alteration, to deal with the other points of his criticisms, re natural selection, etc. The whole reply would thus be shortened as well as made more clear to the general biological public.

Similar considerations lead me to think it would be better to omit the concluding paragraph of your MS resumé before before sending it to Nature. For these paragraphs must be wholly unintelligible to any one [3] who has not previously read the paper itself, and therefore to the readers of Nature in general may seem to justify M^r. W's view about "cumbrous terminology" etc.

What I would here recommend is that the first part of the resumé only should be sent — <being> that which deals with the similarities between your views & mine; while the part dealing with the differences should be disposed of in a few sentences to the effect that these differences are of subordinate importance, and can be seen by reference to the paper itself.

Please let me know whether you approve of these suggestions. [4]

I think Nature must be a good deal pressed for space just now, because the Editor has had in ^type for some time past a reply of mine to criticisms by Huxley & Dyer. This would be an additional reason for shortening yours.

Yours very truly,

G.J. Romanes [signature]