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Alfred Russel Wallace 1823–1913, English naturalist. From his study of comparative biology in Brazil and in the East Indies, he evolved a concept of evolution similar to that of Charles Darwin. Like Darwin, he was greatly influenced by the writings of Malthus and Lyell and based his theories on careful observation. His special contribution to the evidence for evolution was in biogeography; he systematized the science and wrote The Geographical Distribution of Animals (2 vol., 1876) and a supplement, Island Life (1881). His research in this field is commemorated in the name Wallace's line. He assisted H. W. Bates in evolving an early concept of mimicry. His other works include Contributions to the Theory of Natural Selection (1870), Darwinism (1889), Social Environment and Moral Progress (1913), and an autobiography (2 vol., 1905).
See biography by P. Raby (2001); study by H. L. McKinney (1972).
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