Ɛpsilon

WCP2838

Letter (WCP2838.2728)

[1]

HAWTHORNDENE,

HILLS ROAD,

CAMBRIDGE.

Novr.1st. 1905

Dear Dr. Wallace,

Collectors of Foreign Coleoptera are an almost extinct form of life in this country. There is a Dr. Heath1 in London who has a very large collection but I do not know his address.

The largest buyer is the Réné Oberthür2 Faubourg de Paris, Rennes, Ille-et-Vilaìne France. He acquired

—————————

Heath, Echo? A. M.D. F.R.S, 114, Ebury St. Pimlico, S.W.,3

[2] Bates'4 collections and many of the largest French collections, (Thomson,5 Mnizech etc.): he would be by far the best man to deal with. He is very wealthy & thoroughly straightforward & reliable. He is a very old friend of mine & of Bates' & is frequently in England. I cannot suggest any one else as I am almost out of the collectors world for the last 15 years.

My own foreign collections [3] are now in the British Museum. I believe they will treat me better than they did you over that £5.!

With best wishes | Yours very truly | D. Sharp. [signature]

I fancy Dr. Heath is a customer of Johnson’s6 & may perhaps be getting Birch’s7 things through him.

You will be sorry to hear that Captain Hutton8 is deceased on board ship while returning to New Zealand.

[4]9

1
Heath, Edward Alfred (1839-1907). British homoeopath, amateur naturalist and beetle collector.
2
Oberthür, René (1852-1944). French entomologist who specialised in Coleoptera.
3
In ARW’s handwriting, “wrote to above Novr. 11th.”
4
Bates, Henry Walter (1825-1892). British naturalist, explorer and close friend of ARW.
5
Thomson, James (1828-1897) American entomologist who specialised in Coleoptera. His collection was eventually sold to René Oberthür.
6
Johnson has not been identified.
7
Birch, Frederick ("Fred") (1876-1952). British naturalist and natural history collector. Honorary Secretary of the Lancashire and Cheshire Entomological Society.
8
Hutton, Frederick Wollaston (1836-1905). British geologist and zoologist.
9
In pencil in unknown handwriting, “D Sharp MB, CM, MA, FRS, Curator Zoo Mus Camb”.

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP2838.2728)]

For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon

Revision history

Transcribed by Sherwood, Danni [2020-06-09] Transcription checked by Lo, Yen [2020-10-30] Transcription checked by Chua, Christine [2026-04-18]

Please cite as “WCP2838,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP2838