ate
ticket on the pin underneath.' 'It has a ticket,' I replied, 'but it is
unintelligible to me; the spider came to me among some other items by
purchase at the sale of Mr. Wilson Saunders' collections.' 'If it is
mine,' said Wallace (examining it), 'the ticket should be so-and-so. And
it is! I caught this spider at Sarawak, and specially noted its
remarkable form. I remember it as if it were yesterday, and now I find
it here, and you about to publish it as a new genus and species to
which, in total ignorance of whence it came or who caught it, you have
given my name!' Thus it stands, and '_Friula Wallacii_, Camb. (family
Gasteracanthidae), taken by Alfred Russel Wallace at Sarawak,' is the
(unique as I believe) type specimen, in my collection."--O.P.C.

* * * * *

Dr. Wallace was very fond of reading good novels, and usually spent an
hour or two, before retiring to bed, with what he called a "good
domestic story." One of his favourite authors was Marion Crawford.
Poetry appealed to him very strongly, and he had a good memory for his
favourite verses, especially for those he had learned in his youth.
Amongst his books were over fifty volumes of poetry.

He liked to see friends or interesting visitors, but he was rather
nervous with strangers until he became interested in what they had to
say. He enjoyed witty conversation, and especially a good story well
told. No one laughed more heartily than he when he was much amused, and
he would slap his hands upon his knees with delight.

He was very accessible to anyone who might have something to say worth
hearing, and he had a great many visitors, especially during the last
ten years of his life. Many people distinguished in science, literature,
or politics called upon him, and he always enjoyed these visits, and the
excitement of them seemed to have no bad effect upon him, even in the
last year, when we sometimes feared he might be fatigued by them. In
consequence of his sympathy with many heterodox ideas he frequently had
visits from "cranks" who wished to secure his support for some new
theory or "discovery." He would listen patiently, perhaps ask a few
questions, and then endeavour to point out their fallacies. He would
amuse us afterwards by describing their "preposterous ideas," and if
much bored, he would speak of them as "muffs." He was loath to hurt
their feelings, but he generally ended by expressing his opinion quite
clearly, occa