"It has been generally the custom of writers on natural history to take the habits and instincts of animals as the fixed point, and to consider their structure and organization as specially adapted to be in accordance with them"
- Alfred Russel Wallace
About this Quote
This quote by Alfred Russel Wallace recommends that authors of nature have traditionally focused on the behavior and instincts of animals as the main source of information, and after that used that details to describe the structure and company of the animal. This method indicates that the structure and organization of animals is created to support their behavior and impulses. Wallace's quote recommends that the behavior and impulses of animals are the main factor in comprehending their structure and company. This method remains in contrast to the idea that the structure and organization of animals is the main factor in understanding their habits and impulses. Wallace's quote suggests that the habits and impulses of animals must be the starting point for understanding their structure and organization.
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