WCP4420

[1]

Broadstone, Dorset

Dec^r. 3rd. 1903

My dear Poulton¹

Many thanks for your papers & letter.² Your remarks on why insects are so exceptionally important for the study of natural selection are excellent, and should be widely circulated. I suppose in previous Reports you have stated that you are forming the only special collection illustrating Mimicry that has yet been attempted in this country.

The paper on the Membracidae is also most interesting. I had no idea they were so very abundant in genera & species. As far as I remember they were, on the whole, very uncommon, — an indication [2] that their forms are usually protective, so as to conceal them from the eyes of collectors. I do not know Mr Buckton³ personally. As he is a rather wealthy man, perhaps he would give a copy of his monograph or the parts of it relating to Tropical America, to Fred. Birch⁴ or to you for him.

I have not a spare copy of my Linn. Trans. paper on Papilionidae. My own is bound up with 4 other Butterfly & Mimicry papers. Of these I should like to give Bates’⁵ & G. R. Grays⁶ "Papilionidae" to F. Birch. But if you can give me these two papers in separate copies, I will [3] gladly give you the volume in exchange.

I have also an 8vo. vol. bound, with 26 papers — of which there are 6, dealing with S. American Butterflies, I want for F. Birch.

I enclose a note on these 2 vols. giving the titles of the 6 papers I want to have copies of in exchange for this ^{8 vo.} volume[.] If you have, or can get, these papers, I will also exchange this vol. for ^{either of} them, as I have no further use for them, & even thought of cutting them up to give F. B. what are sure to be useful to him.

Believe me| yours very truly| Alfred R. Wallace [signature]