My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org

SCIENTIFIC AND LITERARY WORK 213variations, because there is some direct evidence toshow that they were not and are not useful in theordinary sense, or, as Professor Lloyd Morgan wellputs it, not of " life-preserving value," while there isabsolutely no evidence to show that they were so.In reply, Darwin appealed to the effects of femalechoice in developing these characteristics, of which,however, not a particle of evidence is to be foundamong existing savage races.As it was during the ten years of which I havenow sketched my scientific and literary work that Isaw most of my various scientific friends and acquaintances,and it was also in this period that the course ofmy future life and work was mainly determined, I willgive a short summary of my more personal affairs,together with a few recollections of those friends withwhom I became most familiar.In the spring of 1865 I took a small house formyself and my mother, in St. Mark's Crescent,Regent's Park, quite near the Zoological Gardens,and within a pleasant walk across the park of thesociety's library in Hanover Square, where I had togo very often to consult books of reference. Here Ilived five years, having Dr. W. B. Carpenter for anear neighbour, and it was while living in this housethat I saw most of my few scientific friends.About this time my dear friend, Dr. RichardSpruce, came home from Peru in very weak health,and, after staying a short time in London, went to liveat Hurstpierpoint, in Sussex, in order to be near Mr.William Mitten, then the greatest English authorityon mosses, who had undertaken to describe his greatcollections from South America.During the summer and autumn I often went toHurstpierpoint to enjoy the society of my friend, and