r surroundings. If this last adaptation were
strictly inherited it would be positively injurious, since the progeny
would thereby lose the power of individual adaptability, and thus we
should have light pupae on dark surroundings, and vice versa. Each kind
of adaptation has its own sphere, and it is essential that the one
should be non-inheritable, the other heritable. The whole thing seems to
me quite harmonious and "as it should be."

Thiselton-Dyer tells me that H. Spencer is dreadfully disturbed on the
question. He fears that acquired characters may not be inherited, in
which case the foundation of his whole philosophy is undermined!--Yours
very truly,

ALFRED R. WALLACE.

P.S.--I am afraid you are partly responsible for that kindly meant but
too personal manifestation which disturbed the solemnity of the Royal
Society meeting on Thursday!...

* * * * *

TO PROF. POULTON

_Parkstone, Dorset. September 25, 1893._

My dear Poulton,--I suppose you were not at Nottingham and did not get
the letter, paper, and photographs I sent you there, but to be opened
by the Secretary of Section D in case you were not there. It was about a
wonderful and perfectly authenticated case of a woman who dressed the
arm of a gamekeeper after amputation, and six or seven months afterwards
had a child born without the forearm on the right side, exactly
corresponding in _form_ and _length_ of stump to that of the man.
Photographs of the man, and of the boy seven or eight years old, were
taken _by the physician of the hospital_ where the man's arm was cut
off, and they show a most striking correspondence. These, with my short
paper, appear to have produced an effect, for a committee of Section D
has been appointed to collect evidence on this and other
matters....--Yours very faithfully,

ALFRED R. WALLACE.

* * * * *

TO PROF. POULTON

_Parkstone, Dorset. November 17, 1893._

My dear Poulton,--The letter I wrote to you at Nottingham was returned
to me here (after a month), so I did not think it worth while to send it
to you again, though it did contain my congratulations on your
appointment,[22] which I now repeat. As you have not seen the paper I
sent to the British Association, I will just say that I should not have
noticed the subject publicly but, after a friend had given me the
photographs (sent with my paper), I came across the following statement
in the ne