Tropical Nature, and Other EssaysRead Books Ltd, 25. mai 2016 - 418 pages This early work by Alfred Russel Wallace was originally published in 1878 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. 'Tropical Nature, and Other Essays' is a collection of essays including Wallace's observations on equatorial vegetation, animal life, and sexual. Alfred Russel Wallace was born on 8th January 1823 in the village of Llanbadoc, in Monmouthshire, Wales. Wallace was inspired by the travelling naturalists of the day and decided to begin his exploration career collecting specimens in the Amazon rainforest. He explored the Rio Negra for four years, making notes on the peoples and languages he encountered as well as the geography, flora, and fauna. While travelling, Wallace refined his thoughts about evolution and in 1858 he outlined his theory of natural selection in an article he sent to Charles Darwin. Wallace made a huge contribution to the natural sciences and he will continue to be remembered as one of the key figures in the development of evolutionary theory. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 57
Page
... remarkable forms of life are now restricted to the tropics, and the relations of these to extinct types which once inhabited the temperate zones open up so many interesting questions as to the past history of the earth, that the present ...
... remarkable forms of life are now restricted to the tropics, and the relations of these to extinct types which once inhabited the temperate zones open up so many interesting questions as to the past history of the earth, that the present ...
Page
... remarkable lowering of the usual equatorial temperature. But owing to the increased velocity of the earth's surface at the equator a south wind there must have been a southwest wind at its origin, and this would bring it directly from ...
... remarkable lowering of the usual equatorial temperature. But owing to the increased velocity of the earth's surface at the equator a south wind there must have been a southwest wind at its origin, and this would bring it directly from ...
Page
... remarkable in the equatorial zone. Electrical disturbances are much more frequent, but not generally more violent than in the temperate regions. The windstorms are rarely of excessive violence, as might in fact be inferred from the ...
... remarkable in the equatorial zone. Electrical disturbances are much more frequent, but not generally more violent than in the temperate regions. The windstorms are rarely of excessive violence, as might in fact be inferred from the ...
Page
... remarkable figtrees of various species, whose trunks are formed by a miniature forest of aerial roots, sometimes separate, sometimes matted together, are characteristic of the Eastern tropics, but appear to be rare or altogether unknown ...
... remarkable figtrees of various species, whose trunks are formed by a miniature forest of aerial roots, sometimes separate, sometimes matted together, are characteristic of the Eastern tropics, but appear to be rare or altogether unknown ...
Page
... remarkable in this respect. First, we have many trees with large, thick, and glossy leaves, like those of the cherrylaurel or the magnolia, but even larger, smoother, and more symmetrical. The leaves of the Asiatic caoutchouctree (Ficus ...
... remarkable in this respect. First, we have many trees with large, thick, and glossy leaves, like those of the cherrylaurel or the magnolia, but even larger, smoother, and more symmetrical. The leaves of the Asiatic caoutchouctree (Ficus ...
Contents
ANIMAL LIFE IN THE TROPICAL FORESTS | |
THE COLOURS OF ANIMALS AND SEXUAL SELECTION | |
THE COLOURS OF PLANTS AND THE ORIGIN OF | |
THE DISTRIBUTION OF ANIMALS AS INDICATING | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
abundant adapted Africa allied Amazon animals ants Asia attract bamboo Batavia beautiful become birds blue brilliant butterflies carnivora causes changes characteristic climate colour Colours of Animals comparatively conspicuous continent curious Danaidæ Darwin distinct distribution earth Eocene equator equatorial zone existence extensive fact families fauna favourable feet female ferns fertilization flowers foliage foresttrees fruits genera genus greater green groups habits heat hummingbirds hyænas immense inhabit insects islands Juan Fernandez land larger larvæ leaves lemurs less light Madagascar Malay Malay Archipelago male mammalia marsupials Miocene monkeys natural selection North northern observed occur oceanic ornaments Palæarctic parrots peculiar perhaps phenomena plants Pliocene plumage probably produced proportion protection rays region remarkable resemble sexual selection showy sometimes South America species spots structure sunbirds surface tail temperate zones temperature theory tints trees tropical trunks Ungulata variation varied variety vegetation whole wings yellow