WCP4872

[1]

9, St Mark’s Crescent N.W.

April 25^th. 1867

Dear Sir Charles

I wish to send you a few notes of the distribution of pigs in the Malay Archipelago, because in connection with the facts you have of their power of swimming at sea it becomes especially interesting.

Species of wild pig are found in every large island from Sumatra to New Guinea, but not I believe further East. In Borneo[,] Java[,] New Guinea and Timor there are distinct species and probably many others in the other islands for they have been little studied. [2] I was assured by one of the Dutch Officials at Ternate that he had killed in Gilolo [Halmahera] 3 distinct kinds of wild pig—

Comparing this with the distribution of other placental mammals, Deer extend to Gilolo[,] Ceram [Seram] and Timor but not to Morty [Morotai] or Mysol [Misool]. One of the Carnivora (Paradoxurus musanga) has nearly the same range, but extends ^also to the Ké Islands [Kai Islands], — but not to Aru, Mysol or Waigiou [Waigeo]. Wild Cats are found in Celebes [Sulawesi], and Timor, but not in the Moluccas — Monkeys in the islands between Java and Timor. A baboon in Celebes and Batchian [Bacan] only. Squirrels reach [3] Celebes and Sumbawa, but no further East.

You may depend on these facts. The lists given in Murray’s book¹ are exceedingly inaccurate.

The curious thing is that pigs are found in all the small islands where none of the other mammalia occur as, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, — the island of Morty, N[orth]. of Gilolo, — Obi. S[outh] of Batchian, — the Aru Is[lands]., 100 miles from N[ew]. Guinea, — and Banda, 60 miles from Ceram.

One of the small outlying islands of the Aru Group is called Pulo babi [Pulau Babi], or "Pig islands" because it has a race of pigs descended from some that escaped from a shipwrecked vessel some 30-40 years ago. I was told they were much larger and very different [4] from the Sus papuensis of Aru. They had not spread to any other island.

In a short article in the last number of the "Quarterly Journal of Science" on the Polynesians,² I have given a few facts as to the birds of the Pacific islands, which may be of interest to you.

Beetles would I think be occasionally carried immense distances. Their wing cases standing up erect during flight would form sails & they would ^might be carried hundreds of miles by a strong gale, and then specific gravity is so small that they would be blown from the surface of the water if they fell on it. Many beetles stand immersion in alcohol 24 hours without any injury, & would therefore probably stand sea water many days.

I no longer see insuperable difficulties in any of the anomalies of distribution.

Believe me | Yours very faithfully | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]

Sir C[harles]. Lyell

I enclose a card for seeing my Collections which are now on view at Bayswater.^{3 4}