WCP2485

[1]¹

THE FERNS

WITCOMBE

GLOUCESTER

20.XII.10

Dear Mr Wallace,

I am more than flattered by your kind letter and the privilege of reading your book² before sending it to the Kew Library.

The vigour and ability with which you keep the flag flying is quite splendid. If I retain my orthodoxy, it is because, like Lankester³ (and Darwin⁴ and yourself) I was [sic] a naturalist and am saturated unto the trains & reasoning that you and [2] Darwin have supplied. The younger generation don’t know the facts and don’t have the classical authorities.

I have a book on geographical botany on the stock and shall study what you say about distribution with the closest attention.

I see that with your accustomed acumen you have grafted (p. 20) an important point, to which I was working, about short distance [3] dispersal – I have long been disposed to think that organisms extend their area much more slowly than is often supposed and that even slight obstacles are effective.

You might have made good use of the striking changes in the composition & old pasture produced at Rothamsted by the application of various artificial manners.

On p. 24 you have Simethus for Simethis; it is right in the index. p. 31 Tchikatcheff⁵ sh^d. be Tchihatcheff; I remember seeing him at Kew. These are triples.

[4] I wish we could get the known species & plants summarily catalogued for larger areas. I believe it could be done without much difficulty.

With warm congratulations | Yours very sincerely | W. J. Thiselton-Dyer⁶ [signature]

P.S. I went to Bournemouth to see the Simethis. But that was 40 years ago[.]