WCP5460

Letter (WCP5460.6190)

[1]

The Hamilton, Washington.

[USA]

Feb[ruar]y. 1st. 1887

Dear Mr. Scudder,

Many thanks for your valuable & interesting Revision of Fossil Insects1. I am glad to see they are growing so steadily, and it seems to be me that the indicators l already obtained point to a much greater antiquity than any yet reached. I find that you name 26 families of Coleoptera as Mesozoic, with such highly specialized forms as Curculionidae, Ch<r>ysomelidae, Buprestridae, Gyrinidae, and Carabidae going back to its very base,2 so that we must evidently look back into Palaeozoic times for the primeval Beetles, and to some unknown antiquity for the primeval Insecta, and I feel sure that many wonderful [2] discoveries will yet be made.

Hoping that you may soon get some grand new (and ancient) Insect beds in America —

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

1
Scudder, S. H. (1886). Systematic review of our present knowledge of fossil insects including myriapods and arachnids. Bulletin of the United States Geological Survey 31, 128 pp.
2
Curculionidae is a family of "true" weevils (or "snout beetles"). Chrysomelidae, are commonly known as leaf beetles; many are serious pests on cultivated plants. Buprestidae are commonly known as jewel beetles because of their glossy iridescent colours. Gyrinidae are surface-swimming water beetles commonly known as whirligig beetles. Carabidae is the largest family of beetles, with several thousand species and a variety of common names.

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP5460.6190)]

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

Revision history

Transcribed by Lucas, Paula [2014-08-14] Transcription checked by Benny, Ruth [2014-08-14] Transcription checked by Sherwood, Danni [2020-08-10]

Please cite as “WCP5460,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 27 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP5460