It also claims a superiority over previous hypotheses, on
the ground that it not merely explains but necessitates what
exists. Granted the law, and many of the most important facts in
nature could not have been otherwise, but are almost as necessary
deductions from it as are the elliptic orbits of the planets from
the law of gravitation.
Some time after the appearance of this article, Wallace was informed by
his friend and agent, Mr. Stevens, that several naturalists had
expressed regret that he was "theorising," when what "was wanted was to
collect more facts." Apart from this the only recognition which reached
him in his remote solitude was a remark in an approving letter from
Darwin (_see_ p. 129).
As Wallace wrote nothing further of importance until the second essay
which more fully disclosed his view of the origin of species, we will
now briefly trace the growth of the theory of Natural Selection up to
1858, as it came to Darwin.
It is well known that during Darwin's voyage in the _Beagle_ he was
deeply impressed by discovering extinct armadillo-like fossil forms in
South America, the home of armadilloes, and by observing the
relationship of the plants and animals of each island in the Galapagos
group to those of the other islands and of South America, the nearest
continent.
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