shapes, even when composed of the same
substance. From these many developments of "life" would descend as many
separate lines of evolution, one ending in the humming-bird, another in
the hippopotamus, a third in the kangaroo, etc., and their pedigrees
(however far back they might be traced) would not join until they
reached some primitive form of protoplasm,--Yours faithfully,

SAMUEL WADDINGTON.

* * * * *

TO MR. SAMUEL WADDINGTON

_Parkstone, Dorset. February 23, 1901._

Dear Sir,--Darwin believed that all living things originated from "a few
forms or from one"--as stated in the last sentence of his "Origin of
Species." But privately I am sure he believed in the _one_ origin. Of
course there is a possibility that there were several distinct origins
from inorganic matter, but that is very improbable, because in that case
we should expect to find some difference in the earliest forms of the
germs of life. But there is no such difference, the primitive germ-cells
of man, fish or oyster being almost indistinguishable, formed of
identical matter and going through identical primitive changes.

As to the humming-bird and hippopotamus, there is no doubt whatever of a
common origin--if evolution is accepted at all; since both are
vertebrates--a very high type of organism whose ancestral forms can be
traced back to a simple type much earlier than the common origin of
mammals, birds and reptiles.--Yours very truly,

ALFRED R. WALLACE.

* * * * *

TO SIR FRANCIS DARWIN

_Parkstone, Dorset. July 3, 1901._

Dear Mr. Darwin,--Thanks for the letter returned. I _do_ hold the
opinion expressed in the last sentence of the article you refer to, and
have reprinted it in my volume of Studies, etc. But the stress must be
laid on the word _proof_. I intended it to enforce the somewhat similar
opinion of your father, in the "Origin" (p. 424, 6th Edit.), where he
says, "Analogy may be a deceitful guide." But I really do not go so far
as he did. For he maintained that there was not any proof that the
several great classes or kingdoms were descended from common ancestors.

I maintain, on the contrary, that all without exception are now proved
to have originated by "descent with modification," but that there is no
proof, and no necessity, that the very same causes which have been
sufficient to produce all the species of a genus or Order were those
which initiated an