WCP4666

Letter (WCP4666.4983)

[1]

9, St. Mark's Crescent, Regent's | Park. N.W.1

Jan 2nd. 1870

Dear Sir2

My cousin, C. A. Wilson Esq[uire].3 of Adelaide, S. Australia, who has been forming a collection of insects for more than 30 years, is now obliged to part with his entire private coll[ectio]n. which he is going to send to me[.]

It consists of about 11,000 specimens of about 4200 species of all orders of insects, three fourths of the whole being from the Colony of South Australia, and of course containing a large number of uniques.

Thinking you might know of [2] some parties in America who would be glad of the chance of obtaining such a collection entire, I take the liberty of addressing you on the subject. The collection will probably not be here for some months, so there will be ample time for you to communicate with your correspondents in America if you think it worth while [sic] to do so.

Considering that the collection is a private one, and therefore has no such number of duplicates, and all the varieties that are sure to be met with by a collector of such long standing and as persevering as my [3] cousin, and also because S. Australian insects are by no means so common as those from N[ew]. S[outh]. Wales I think £200 would be a fair price for the collection, — which comes to about d.4½4a specimen and less than a shilling a species.

Should you be in England when it arrives I hope you will see it and be able to make me an offer. On the other side I give a summary of the Collection.

I remain | Yours very faithfully | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]

Dr. J. Leconte.

1
ARW's residence from March 1865-6/20 July 1867 and early July 1868-22 March 1870.
2
The recipient is LeConte, John Lawrence (1825-1883). American entomologist.
3
Wilson, Charles Algernon ("Algernon", "Ally") (1818-1884). Australian solicitor, public servant and entomologist; published under the pseudonym "Naturae Amator"; ARW’s cousin, son of his uncle Thomas Wilson (1787-1863).
4
4½ pence (pre-decimalisation) is equivalent to almost 2 modern pence.

Editorial information

Status: Edited (but not proofed) transcription [Letter (WCP4666.4983)]

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

Revision history

Transcribed by Cooper, Rod [2013-01-30] Transcription checked by Costa, Leslie [2020-06-09]

Enclosure (WCP4666.4984)

[1] Mr Wilson's1 Australian Collection.

Species. Specimens.
Coleoptera2 2650 7500
Orthoptera3 130 200
Neuroptera4 100 200
Hymenoptera5 600 1000
Lepidoptera6 400 800
Homoptera7 &c. 200 500
Diptera8 — 100 300
4180 10,500
Extra specimens 500
11,000

Three fourths of the above from the Colony of S. Australia. The locality of all the specimens is indicated.

1
Wilson, Charles Algernon ("Algernon", "Ally") (1818-1884). Australian solicitor, public servant and entomologist; published under the pseudonym "Naturae Amator"; ARW’s cousin, son of his uncle Thomas Wilson (1787-1863).
2
The order of insects that includes beetles and weevils.
3
The order of insects that includes grasshoppers, locusts, and crickets.
4
The order of insects that includes lacewings, mantidflies, antlions, and related species.
5
The order of insects that includes sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants.
6
The order of insects that includes butterflies and moths.
7
The suborder of insects that includes aphids, scale insects, cicadas, and leafhoppers.
8
The order of insects that includes mosquitoes, black flies, midges, fruit flies, and house flies.

Editorial information

Status: Edited (but not proofed) transcription [Enclosure (WCP4666.4984)]

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

Revision history

Transcribed by Cooper, Rod [2013-01-30] Transcription checked by Costa, Leslie [2020-06-09]

Please cite as “WCP4666,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 23 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP4666