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Contributions to the Theory of Natural Selection

by Alfred Russel Wallace

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  1. 1Preface
  2. 2Preface to the Second Edition
  3. 3I — On the Law Which Has Regulated the Introduction of New Species
  4. 4A Law Deduced From Well-Known Geographical and Geological Facts
  5. 5The Form of a True System of Classification Determined by This Law
  6. 6Geographical Distribution of Organisms
  7. 7Geological Distribution of the Forms of Life
  8. 8High Organization of Very Ancient Animals Consistent With This Law
  9. 9Objections to Forbes’ Theory of Polarity
  10. 10Rudimentary Organs
  11. 11Conclusion
  12. 12II — On the Tendency of Varieties to depart indefinitely from the O…
  13. 13III — Mimicry, and other Protective Resemblances among Animals
  14. 14Special Modifications of Colour
  15. 15Theory of Protective Colouring
  16. 16Objection That Colour, as Being Dangerous, Should Not Exist in Nature
  17. 17Mimicry
  18. 18Mimicry Among Lepidoptera
  19. 19Lepidoptera Mimicking Other Insects
  20. 20Mimicry Among Beetles
  21. 21Beetles Mimicking Other Insects
  22. 22Insects Mimicking Species of Other Orders
  23. 23Cases of Mimicry Among the Vertebrata
  24. 24Mimicry Among Snakes
  25. 25Mimicry Among Birds
  26. 26Mimicry Among Mammals
  27. 27Objections to Mr. Bates’ Theory of Mimicry
  28. 28Mimicry by Female Insects Only
  29. 29Cause of the Dull Colours of Female Birds
  30. 30Use of the Gaudy Colours of Many Caterpillars
  31. 31Summary
  32. 32General Deductions as to Colour in Nature
  33. 33Conclusion
  34. 34IV — The Malayan Papilionidæ or Swallow-tailed Butterflies, as Illu…
  35. 35Question of the Rank of the Papilionidæ
  36. 36Distribution of the Papilionidæ
  37. 37Definition of the Word Species
  38. 38Laws and Modes of Variation
  39. 39Variation as Specially Influenced by Locality
  40. 40Remarks on the Facts of Local Variation
  41. 41Mimicry
  42. 42Concluding Remarks on Variation in Lepidoptera
  43. 43Arrangement and Geographical Distribution of the Malayan Papilionidæ
  44. 44Range of the Groups of Malayan Papilionidæ
  45. 45Remarkable Peculiarities of the Island of Celebes
  46. 46Concluding Remarks
  47. 47V — On Instinct in Man and Animals
  48. 48How Instinct May Be Best Studied
  49. 49Definition of Instinct
  50. 50Does Man Possess Instincts
  51. 51How Indians Travel Through Unknown and Trackless Forests
  52. 52VI — The Philosophy of Birds’ Nests
  53. 53Do Men Build by Reason or by Imitation?
  54. 54Why Does Each Bird Build a Peculiar Kind of Nest?
  55. 55How Do Young Birds Learn to Build Their First Nest?
  56. 56Do Birds Sing by Instinct or by Imitation?
  57. 57How Young Birds May Learn to Build Nests
  58. 58Man’s Works Mainly Imitative
  59. 59Birds Do Alter and Improve Their Nests When Altered Conditions Requ…
  60. 60Conclusion
  61. 61VII
  62. 62Conclusion
  63. 63VIII — Creation by Law
  64. 64Intermediate or Generalized Forms of Extinct Animals, an Indication…
  65. 65Conclusion
  66. 66A Demonstration of the Origin of Species by Natural Selection
  67. 67IX — The Development of Human Races under the Law of Natural Selection
  68. 68X — The Limits of Natural Selection as applied to Man
  69. 69The Nature of Matter
  70. 70Conclusion
  71. 71Note B. (Page 365.)

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