WCP639

[1]

9. St. Mark's Crescent,

Regent's Park. N.W.

London, Septr. 20th. 1865

My dear Sir

I should have written to you before, but I have waited to receive the copy of your splendid work¹ which have [sic] only lately come to hand. I sent you a copy of my paper on the Papilionidae² two or three months ago which I hope you have received.

I exceedingly regret the additional complications of synonymy that will be caused by the publication at the same time of two works containing so[?] many species described under different names.

I had not the least idea that you were going to publish all my new discoveries in your possession, under the title of the "Voyage of the Novara",³ or I would have sent you a list of my names to avoid this confusion.

In your letter to me⁴ dated Dec. 1863, [2] you say "not any new species of Papilio which you have me kindly communicated is published in it, because you have mentioned me your intention to publish them yourself." Although you seem to have obtained many of my species through other persons there appear to be some cases in which you have not remembered the above promise. For example P[apilio]. Pherecrates Feld. I sent you as P. parmatus[.] P. pamphilus [pamphylus] and P. autolycus of your work are also described from specimens I sent you as you refer to no others.⁵

Do not think that I care the least about having my name quoted as the describer of a species. I much prefer others should describe them, especially one who is such a master of the art as yourself, but I think it much better for science that they should be described by the person who has several perfect specimens than by him who possesses [3] a less complete & perfect series.

Now as to the priority of all these names I fear difficulty will arise. Your book has no date but 1864. Your plates have Oct. 1864. My paper with all my descriptions complete was read at the Linnaean [Linnean] Society⁶ in March 1864 but owing to delay in the plates was not published till 1865. It is still a disputed point whether the date of reading a paper publickly [sic] is that of publication as regards claiming priority.

I myself would willing give up all my names to yours, but I doubt if fellows of the Linnaean Society will do so, and I must abide by their decision.

To avoid such an unpleasant occurrence again, may I beg you [4] to be so kind as to send me a list of any species of the Malay Islands you may describe as soon as the Mss. goes to the printers, and in case I publish other groups I will do the same to you.

I enclose a note of the species described by us under different names,⁷ & remain

With best wishes | Yours very sincerely | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]

Dr. C. Felder