WCP2986

[1]¹

HOTEL STEINBOCK

LAUTERBRUNNEN

June 30th [1910]²

My dear Dr Russell [sic] Wallace,

Your letter has been sent to me from London. & I have written to my publishers to tell them to make arrangements about the figures you wish to borrow — I am very glad that some of my figures should be of use to you — and I expect that your book will be a very beautiful & interesting one.

I am here for a couple of weeks or so with [2] my sister & niece. We arrived on Monday and find it very beautiful. I had never been here so early in the year before — although I know the whole region very well. The flowers are perfectly wonderful in their variety and abundance. It is, I am glad to say, too early for the crowd of visitors and the weather is splendid. Yesterday we were up 10,500 feet on the [illeg.] by electric train — and were able [3] to spend hours on the high mountain meadows & rocks — collecting flowers.

The birds too are still singing — but there are very few insects –

The Swiss people always seem to me — happy and active as English people ought to be and would be if we had a land system similar to that of the Swiss — and were free of the burden of the landlords.

Sincerely yours | E Ray Lankester³ [signature]