New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-02-01
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

1y,ot.yor Air. Wallace writes on the subject OF
...nra, history ia always entitled to serious atten
tion but there is q special interest IN this volume
Of tho present tine, which will be made more APP
parent il we first glance at the great movement Oh
recent thought out of which 1t has grown anu Vi
which in several aspects it is an able and oppor'ue
exuosition. In the recent advance of science the
problem of terrestrial life assumes more profound
significance than at any former period AT irst inc
living world like all the other phenomena oil ma
+ure had to he considered in Its sensible aspects
and could be only specifically explained. lhe oo-
iects of natural history were observed compareu'
described ard classified as they presented thein-
selves according to characters easily oe'el"hou'
But it is necessary tendency OF science 10 20 "e-
hind appearances and get at the operation OF CAUSES
Material forms and structures first engage atten-
t,on and then the forces and dynamic cOnuitiohs
Nv which such forms and structures were deler-
mined This tendency of scientific study, however
was long numbered in the field OF lie by scltleu
prioyl theory Of the origin OF living things was
believed that the nunberess kinds OF living crea-
lures which nhabit the earth were specially create"
in their perfect forms. and exactly adapted 10 the
.onditiou i'm which they are found. This was
fundamental proposition IN natural history, ana
,yos the more tcnaciOu5ly held because reinforced
hy strong religious sanctions. The problem OF
origins and adaptations being authoiltauVely
solved in advance, any inquiry into IL WAS IT,
garded as supcrtuOus if not irIeverent. Inc oider
natural history therefore confined itself TO the COM
paratively easy task of deneating the sehSipie
characters of living creatures and the construction
of such systems OF relationship as were posSioie
from this point of view. There was an avodahce
md neglect OF those deeper inquiries into causes
which were pursued III othef scIeh'iic nei''' Will
the most fruitful results.
But tho human mind cannot be contented WIN
tLe endless accumulation of unexplained facts
The sterility OF biological science was palpable
anomaly. The mere masslng of observations AT
length corrected itself and the Fictitious restraints
upon inquiry gave way almost with the suddenness
of a catastrophe. The old procedure Is no" essen
TALLY abandoned, and within the last twenty years
the methods of natural history have been rcVoiu-
tionized. the work of critical observ alton, OF
course continues and must always go on nut IL Is
now guided by new theories and the prOoicnis
which were so long forbidden as useless have be-
come first in interest and Importance Natural MS
tory from being mere matter OF the description vi
animals and plants and tho tracing OF thcir super
fc al connections has passed into the new phase OF
phjlOsOplc biology which opens the proioundesI
uuestiops that can occupy the human mind. II was
inevitable that in this newlv-opened held when re-
ycaed the grandest interactions of nature as
legitimate factors of inquiry there should be great
activity of speculation, and inevitable conflict OF
ouiuiou over important questions. stormy contro-
yerses quickly arose that it was dlihcut 10 de-
tcrmine what could he regarded as accepted and
what must lie still held as disputable IL VAS wcil'
therefore, that Mr. Wallace saw ht to address hni-
self mt this time to critical discussion OF the gem
eral subject. Ho was cmnentiy the man for tho
task Foremost among tho pioneers OF the rcVolu-
ton in biological method. the co-dlsc0verer Win
Mr. Darwin of the principle of natural selection us
n cause of diversity in species, original thinker
of sharp insight and wide grasp and long familiar
with the large clements of the investigation, no
man was better prepared to sum up the case ana 10
inform us as to what may be considered as now
fairly established His book will DC welcomed not
ONLY by the scientific world but by many outside OF
II who desire to keep themselves informed as to
what is gong on i'll the active arena or scicht'hc
Thought And this class will be the moro pleased
with it because Mr. Wallace is one of the cleaIcst
and most attractive Of our scientific writer's Four
wears ago he published elaborate treatise. Ill two
volumes, on the Geographical distribution Oh
animals" from the most modern point OF view
The pre, sent book is in u certain supplement
tary to that rs it starts from summary ot lts re-
suits and then takes up the larger factors of bio
logical influence and cauSation. The present OooK'
mOrcO yer, appeals to wider audience anu 'rea's
the subject in a more elementary and interesting
way.
Mr. Wallace introduces his readers to some fea-
turcs in the distribution of animal life by the fol-
lowing Illustrations. When an EnSllshman goes
by the nearest sea-rOntc from Great Britain 10
Northern Japan, ho passes many countries OF the
most diverse aspects and after travelling l''ooo
,o;les and becoming separated frCm his homo bv
the whole width Of Europe and Northern ASA, lie
finds himself at llakodadi, i'll Japan But upon
visiting the interior of the country he IS surprised al
the familiarity its natural objects. lie mas the
woods and fields tenancd by tits. hcdge-sparlows'
wrcns war-tails larks, redbrcasts. thrushes, hunt
ings and house -sparrOws, some absolutely ldehtlca
with his own feathcrcd friends, others 50 closely re-
sembling them that it requires practiscd orn-
tholoyst to tell the difference. If he is fond CT in
sects he roticcs many butterflies and host OF
beetles which, though OH close examination are
found to be distinct from ours are yet OF the same
general aspect and just what may be expected
in any part of Europe If now an Australian sails
to New Zealand distance of less than l,3OO miles,
he will find himself in country whose productions
are totally unlike those of his own. kangarooS ana
wombats there are pOne the birds are almost aIl
entirely new insects arc very scarce anu quito uh-
like tho handsome or strange Australian forms,
while even the vegetation is all changed and no
pun,-tree. or waffle or grass-treo meets his eye.
Again in the Malay Archipelago there are two
islands named Bali and LombOk each about as
large as Corsica, and separated by strait only ht-
teen miles wide ut it's narrowest part. Yet these
islands differ far moro from each other i'll their
birds and quadrupcds than do England and Japan.
Mr.. Wallace then points cUt tnat current cxpla-
nations of these irregular diverses in distribution
of life are wholly unsatisfactory. 1t is sufficiently
obvious that mere distance is of very little import
ance Nor can the effects lie accounted tor by
difference of climate. Hot countries usually difer
widely from cold ones i'll their organic FORMS Out
tho differences are neither constant nor do they
hear auy proportion to difference of temperature.
po4,ran,, fr,nid Cannla and snh- trOnical ElOrida