Parkstone, Dorset.
June 10th. 1896
My dear Meldola
I am glad to find that I was right in declining to have anything to do with the Mimicry book. My idea of it was similar to yours, but I was not quite sure that I had given time enough to understand the Author’s ideas of the subject which seemed to me so confused.
I write now to say that I am coming to London next Thursday (the 18th.) to read [2] a paper on "The Utility of Specific Characters" at the Linnean, — & that I will, if convenient, accept your & Mrs. Meldola’s often repeated invitation to stay the night with you. Poulton wrote me that he will come to help in the discussion, & will stay with you also, as he says you have two spare rooms. I hope [3] Thiselton Dyer will also come, as I know he agrees generally with my views, but there will I have no doubt be plenty against them. I hope you will be disengaged that Evening.
I see by the last Essex Field Club Report, that you are now quite satisfied with the treatment of Essex forest. It seems to me however that the mere [4]1 fact that quantities of Crowded & unsightly pollards still remain, after 15 years continuous work, is the complete condemnation of the past management. All these might have been duly thinned in the first 5 years or less. This, & fresh planting of the useless bare tracks (not it seems done yet) were the first things to have been done.
Yours very truly| A. R. W. [signature]
Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP4533.4840)]
For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon
Please cite as “WCP4533,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 14 May 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP4533