WCP5282

[1]

Old Orchard,

Broadstone,

Wimborne

June 24th, 1909

Dr. S. H. Koorders

Dear Sir

I am greatly obliged to you for the valuable facts as to the flora of Java, & of the Archipelago, you have been so good as to send me.

I presume that there is still a large extent of forests on the south coast of Java especially in the Western half, and I suppose that this has not yet been well explored botanically. The very great number of species in the [2] very small island of Kambaugan seems to show that this district may be the richest in all Java, and that the complete flora (of Java) may be much more extensive that as yet known.

I suppose your estimate for the Malay Archipelago (Dutch) is from the species already collected. The actual number, if all were as well known as Java, would I think be probably nearer to 20,000. Can you tell me how many species are yet known from New Guinea? Sir Joseph Hooker says that the plants known from it are so remarkable that it [3] almost deserves to form a new Botanical Region!

One more point you say that Nusa Kambaugan is about 3 square kilometres. Surely that should be 30 at least, as the only maps I have show it to be even more than that. Even if it [is] 30 sq. kilometres it will be, so far as I can ascertain, the richest spot ^{for plants} of that area in the world.

New Guinea, although very imperfectly known has already I believe more species of birds than any other island or country of equal extent, and I fully believe that its flora will be also one of the very richest, and that it will [4] be found to contain at least 5000 or 6000 species.

The Moluccas also must be very rich;— especially Ceram[,] Gilolo and Batchian [Bacan]. Even in comparatively barren Timor, Mr. H.O. Forbes¹ collected nearly 1000 species, during a five months journey in the Eastern part of the island.

Yours very faithfully | Alfred R. Wallace [signature] ²

RIJKSHERBARIUM

LEIDEN³