WCP4051

[1]¹

The Dell, Grays, Essex

June 18th, 1875

Dear Newton²

I return you your Palearctic tables with many thanks. I wish I had had them 6 months ago. It has taken me a week’s hard work to make up my new list with them and chiefly owing to the difficulty of deciding what to do in many cases.

Excuse my having made notes & alterations on your mss [manuscripts]. The numbers to the families show the order in which I have finally decided to arrange them: some of the genera I omit as not at³ [2] all Palearctic though found at "Monpiu"[?] — For that locality is on the boundary, & continuous species which are Oriental mixed with other which are Palearctic.

I have inserted one or two you seem to have omitted though you may have included them under the genera. I have inserted other names in a few cases either when an old & generally used name is altered, or when you have chosen an ^old specific generic name, which you have often done when there are other names which leave the spec. [specific] name to the species.

[3] I hold that a generic name cannot claim priority, which itself breaks the law of priority in changing an old generic name

Have you read Lewis’ paper on "Entomological Nomenclature & Law of Priority"⁴? It applies to zoology generally, & I believe his proposals are sounds & will sooner or later be adopted.

The trouble you have had (with all your ingrained knowledge of the subject) in making your tables of American & European genera, will let you understand how much I have been bothered with all the six regions which I shall ^now do all over again [4]⁵ But having now pretty well made up my mind as to the genera ^{of families}, & having got together the naturals, [it] will be straightforward work.

I have not quite done with one or two of the papers you lent me but will return them shortly.

Yours very sincerely ǀ Alfred R. Wallace [signature]

Names scored under are those of genera either wholly or typically (& almost wholly) Palearctic. I consider all these to be (speaking generally) peculiar Palearctic genera for considering our imperfect knowledge of the limits of Regions & their nature, one or two species beyond the limits often is of no importance. Names or hyphens on the contrary are not properly Palearctic, though just entering it.⁶