WCP3789

Letter (WCP3789.3703)

[1]1

Waldron Edge, Duppas Hill, Croydon.

March 1st. 1880

Dear Sir

I beg to thank you for the copy of your book which I have read with much pleasure and interest. Your list of the birds of the Lesser Antilles2 is very valuable and the new species you have discovered are an important addition to our knowledge of the islands. Unfortunately the general fauna of small islands though very interesting is too poor in species to be profitable to any collector, and I feel sure there is no chance of your receiving any assistance from this country for further explorations [2] in the same region. Our National Museum never employs collectors, and to private individuals there is not sufficient attraction.

If you want to travel again I should recommend some of the less known vallies[sic] of the Andes, where you will find all branches of zoology excessively rich and proportionately remunerating.

Wishing you every success | I remain | Yours very faithfully | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]

Frederick A. Ober Esq.3

1
The letters ‘nd’ are written diagonally in the upper left corner of the page in a different and lighter script than ARW’s usual cursive script, indicating that this was likely a later annotation. The abbreviation "nd" may translate as "no date".
2
The Lesser Antilles (also called the Caribbees) are an arc of small islands in the Caribbean Sea, many of which form the Sea’s eastern boundary with the Atlantic Ocean.
3
Frederick Albion Ober (1849 — 1913), an American naturalist and writer. Ober performed ornithological surveys of the Lesser Antilles from 1876 — 1878, recording 22 bird taxa for the first time.

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP3789.3703)]

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

Revision history

Transcribed by Clerx, William [2012-08-16] Transcription checked by Catchpole, Caroline [2013-01-15]

Please cite as “WCP3789,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 27 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP3789