WCP4674

[1]

Broadstone, Wimborne

Dec[embe]^r.. 9th. 1907

Dear Mr. Jordan¹

Many thanks for sending me your Revision of the American Papilios. All such works, giving a complete catalogue of any group, are always interesting to me, because they gives such valuable material for dealing with problems of Geog[raphic]. Distribution as well as of Evolution generally.

Last year I wanted to get for F. Birch² some Lists of the Brit[ish]. Museum chief groups of Lepidoptera & Coleoptera & [2] found, to my great astonishment (& disgust) found that absolutely nothing had been issued for nearly half a century! I then wrote to Ray Lankester³, urging that mere lists of the names and localities of the specimens of the more popular groups, such as the Dinrin & Splungida and the Carabida, Longicorus— &c. &c. which could be drawn up by any intelligent youth under the supervision of the Curators of departments from by merely going through the Cabinet drawers [3] themselves— without any attempt at classification, revision, or description— would be an immense boon to private collections, travellers, students &c. as merely showing what the Museum possessed. And such Lists, if published as cheaply as possible, and divided into sections, each containing the Species of one of the great Geog[raphic]. Regions,— would have a very large Sale & probably pay expenses.

He promised to see if it could be done, & I hope he will. Now the Museum's vast insect collections as useless to those who have not [4] leisure & means to go there personally.

I have delayed thanking you for the "Revision" so long, hoping (week by week) to have some later news of Birch— but I have now been 7 weeks without hearing from him. It can hardly be serious illness, or I should have heard from his sister— so I hope it is a sign of great abundance of insects, keeping his hands so full that he quite forgets the lapse of time.

Yours very truly | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]

Karl Jordan Esq.