The Dell, Grays, Essex.
April 9th. 1875.
My dear Flower
As one of the preliminary chapters to my book on the Geog. Dist. of Animals1 (now nearly completed) I have given a sketch of the Tertiary fauna and endeavoured to point out its more important bearings on the subject of distribution. I have taken my facts chiefly from Gervais2, Gaudry3, Owen4, Falconer 6, Leidy5, and Lund6 with a few additional forms from their works. Having no practical knowledge of osteology, I fear I may have made some important errors. Names of these extinct forms seem to be often vague and fluctuating, with [2] a synonymy as complex as that of living forms, and I have no doubt noticed the same animal or [one word illegible] under different names. Again I see there is great diversity of opinions as to the classification of the genera or families. Also as to the relations of the extinct forms to each other & to living forms.
Have you spare time enough to read over my MSS. as for as it treats of Mammalia? It is rather long (56 pp. pretty full) but I think easy reading. If you can without inconvenience spare an evening to it, & would kindly note in pencil [3] or red or blue ink any corrections of names, or affinities, — mark out names which are quite undefined & represent nothing, & insert any of importance wh. are omitted, with just a word as to their relations — you would greatly oblige me.
As I have now done with that subject till final corrections for press, I would send you the MSS. whenever convenient to you any time this or next month, or even June.
Hoping you have now quite recovered your health
I remain | Yours very faithfully | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]
Prof. W. Flower.
Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP3745.3653)]
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Please cite as “WCP3745,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 28 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP3745