Ɛpsilon

WCP712

Letter (WCP712.884)

[[1]

Broads<tone>

March <1904>1

My dear Fred2

I send you now the bit of Darwin’s3 writing in case I forget it. The photo. has not come to han<d> yet. I return Miss Linter’s letter. I do not see that it wants any reply till you send some shells. If you do ever find shells fairly abundant there are lots of other collectors & the B.M. <British Museum> & you must collect a fair number of each in case of having any novelties among them. Surely you know th<at> [2] [MS burned] trouble you may have to get any species has nothing to do with its value. That depends solely on its rarity in England, not its rarity out in Guiana, & can only be known by experience.

As you have now only 10 days more, I hope all your arrangements are pretty nearly made.

Let me hear if you have any introductions to Jamaica. I do not think it worth while asking for a Col. Office Letter to Trinidad.

Yours very Truly | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]

1
ARW was actively assisting Birch in securing a job in 1903-04.
2
Birch, Frederick ("Fred") (1876-1952). British naturalist and natural history collector. Honorary Secretary of the Lancashire and Cheshire Entomological Society.
3
Darwin, Charles Robert (1809-1882). British naturalist, geologist and author, notably of On the Origin of Species (1859).

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP712.884)]

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

Revision history

Transcribed by Martinho, Antone [2011-07-08] Transcription checked by Catchpole, Caroline [2013-01-15] Transcription checked by Chua, Christine [2024-12-24]

Envelope (WCP712.1024)

Unposted envelope used to file letter; front of envelope inscribed in ARW's hand: "Darwin's Writing for Fred - Birch". [Envelope (WCP712.1024)]

Please cite as “WCP712,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP712