WCP744

[1]

Broadstone, W<imborne>

Oct^r. 25th. <1905>¹

My dear Fred²

After finishing your long <and> interesting account of your adventures <in> Tucuché, I felt very much inclined to [MS burned] you in earnest for so recklessly <endangering> your health and even your life. But the necessary interval caused by own [MS burned] affairs & the publication of my book [MS burned] me to miss one mail, I feel that you <have> probably been punished enough, and that youth must have its excitements [MS burned] all risks. I think you will have <learned> that climbing mountains does not <pay> when performed alone. I know the <fascination> of it, but the only way for a <naturalist to> do any good at such work is to [MS burned] the highest convenient station <where there> is wood & water, and thence [MS burned] top with net & collecting box a[MS burned] possible good was it to [MS burned] to the top? A[MS burned] [2] [MS burned] a good photo and there is usually [MS burned]ng distinctive in a tropical mountain [MS burned]d. Your camera should never be [MS burned]ed except at home, or near home to <take> single striking objects or small <groups>. What you sent me from your last collecting station (the Carr’s estate) were <no>ne of them sufficiently distinctive to be of any interest.

Your dreadful boils and ulcers were, <I> am sure, due, primarily to poor innutrition [sic] <food>. They never come to healthy well-nourished people. I really hope you <are> now quite well again, and have <not> delayed going to Santa Catalina <on> that account. Mrs. Boynton’s good [MS burned] will be the best cure for you, [MS burned] it is probably quite as healthy there [MS burned] Trinidad.

[MS burned] even less agreeable subject [MS burned] It is certainly a very [3] nasty one, but I really think you <had> better not take any notice of it, [MS burned] when you do write next to him, [MS burned] say quietly, that as you seem to be [MS burned] dissatisfied it will ^be best to part. [MS burned] you have any more Trinidad coll<ections> I would send them to him, asking him to forward you the proceeds <as> soon as he can dispose of them. [MS burned] ask Mr. Kaye³ to tell him that you [MS burned] him a small present only.

I hope you will not require to <send> your collections to America, I expect [MS burned] S. American insects and birds are <more> commoner in American collections <than> in English, and probably even lo<wer in> price. However, on receipt of <yours> I wrote to Mr. Karl Jordan⁴ at <Trinidad and> have today had a reply from <Mr.> Ernst Hartert⁵ (the bird [MS burned]) being on the cont[MS burned] [4] (4) [MS burned] trouble with Janson,⁶ and your <wish> to send things direct to them, and [MS burned]ing then to ascertain whether Mr. Rothschild⁷ <wi>ll take a set or a selection of your butts. &c & birds from Santa Catalina, <an>d if so, what price he is willing to pay <for> them. The letter is so important that <I> send you a copy of all the more <im>portant part of it; and it seems to <me> that if S. Catalina is really a <good> district — and I think it must be — <you> will be pretty safe to trust to their <col>lection producing you a great deal <more> than all your collections from <Trinidad> have done. For all lepidoptera <inc>luding moths large & small, I think [MS burned] offer a fair price which will pay [MS burned] well. Of course if you ever get [MS burned] known country, where many [MS burned] are new and rare, the [MS burned] higher. [5] (5) Oct: 26th. Having a little spare time I will <write> few words about the bird-collecting. [MS burned] will have found already if Santa Cata<lina> turns out not a good locality for insects of [MS burned] orders, you will want every hour of your <time> for them, and it will not pay you ^yourself to col<lect> them ^birds, except perhaps to get a few as samp<les> of your skinning. There you will be ab<le to> get close at home, going out say for one <hour> from 5.30 to 6.30 am. which I always <find> best for birds. On every skin put a <label> something like the enclosed, the numbers referring to a note book, in which you [MS burned] colour of all soft parts, — habits, food [MS burned] contents of stomach &c. A copy of this <you> can send to Mr. Rothschild with each of birds. The numbers to refer to the [MS burned] (not specimens).

I forget whether you have a [MS burned] shot gun. If so you should [MS burned] (always the same) [MS burned] [6] [MS burned]der about half a thimble full, [MS burned] same quantity of small shot, to <sh>oot the numerous birds which frequent [MS burned] low bushes or the ground in the thick <forests> or second-growths, and which you have usually to shoot at 5 or 6 yards distance <sometimes> less, where an ordinary charge <w>ould blow them to pieces. You must try <h>ow little will do, and ^{will be surprised} how little noise <it> will make. The same charge is good <for> humming-birds, but I hope there are some blow-pipe shooters who will get them for you using clay pellets.

For the other barrel to shoot birds on tops <of> trees ^there must be a full charge, with No. 1 <or> no. 2. shot. In order to prepare for <ca>mpaign against the birds you must [MS burned] get some Indian or half-breed hunter [MS burned] you, paying him a trifle for [MS burned] bird he brings you. There are [MS burned] such men and boys to [7] be found who delight in hunting of [MS burned] and Captn B.⁸ will tell you how much <you> must pay them for the birds ^{to satisfy them}. Then, they <will> be immensely interested in seeing you skin and put them up, and you will be able to teach your hunter how to <skin> a bird as well as you can. When he <can> do this well you will pay him a trifle <for> each bird he skins. Then you will be <able> to send him to some places near [MS burned] Sierra where he can get rare kinds, [MS burned] them himself, put a little cotton inside <and> bring them to you next day. A little [MS burned] later, when he can also put them up [MS burned] nicely — which he will probably soon learn to do, he can go away for [MS burned] days in various directions and <bring> back skins, which you can then [MS burned] a little, or if necessary fill [MS burned] look as good as your own. [MS burned] all my servants, which [MS burned] [8] [MS burned] they came in ^{home in the afternoon} with a dozen or 20 birds, [MS burned] large, & some begining [sic] to putrefy. Mammals [MS burned] your hunter will catch & skin for you will no doubt be able to utilise your [MS burned] to advantage when he sees how good <they> are. If you get a regular order from Mr. Rothschild for sets of birds, you will <be> able to keep one or two hunters employed [MS burned] even to engage one as a servant to [MS burned] with you on any distant excursions for <a> week or a months. But do not think <about> that till you have well-worked Santa <Catalina>. I have never seen one of your bird-skins, & therefore cannot say anything <exce>pt to warn you against hard stuffing — a skin filled with well-beaten cotton-wool being [MS burned] better. Tying up the beak with a fine [MS burned] thread through the nostrils to preven<t> gaping [MS burned] as it dries is also an improvement, [MS burned] know.

Yours very sincerely | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]

[9]

Letter from Mr. Ernst Ha<rtert>

After saying that they have had large collec<tions> [MS burned] the Orinoco and cannot therefore promise to take a complete set of lepidoptera [MS burned] Santa Catalina — he goes on —

"But Mr. Rothschild will be pleased <to> make a selection of what we can do from the lepidoptera (butterflies and <moths>) from Santa Catalina. If your young <friend> makes a good collection of moths <the> selection from them will most proba<bly> almost amount to a complete "set" <taken.> For the selected specimens Mr. Rothschild is willing to pay one shilling each spec<imen.>

"Of birds we have received large c<ollections> from the lower Orinoco from Ciudad <Bolivar> upwards, from the Caura River and the Delta. But before promising [MS burned] about them we must see a few <bird> skins so as to see if we <like for> you have any please let me [MS burned] as soon as conve<nient> [MS burned] [10] <neigh>bourhood of Santa Catalina will [MS burned] an un interesting one for birds, but <if> the skins are satisfactory we would probably find some useful ones among <t>hem. If Mr. Fred. Birch could find time to go to the Sierra Imataca he would probably get there some interesting birds. Probably these mountains will be found to be the home of certain rare forms which are hitherto only known from single specimens or so, picked out from Orinoco trade skins which in former years used to be shipped to England viȃ Trinidad..

I should not be surprised if the <Sie>rra Imataca were the home of the <rare> and wonderful Humming Bird <Hy>lonympha macrocerca! Salvin’s⁹ idea [MS burned] came from some part of Brazil [MS burned]founded.

[MS burned] birds he would do [11] well to pay special attention to the [MS burned] forest birds, especially Formicariidae, Dendrocolaptidae etc., and the Humming Birds. Perhaps he can get us an [MS burned] Harpyia-eagle. We have none!"

Tring, 23.10.1905.

P. S. I have also written to Mr. Sch<il]]¹⁰ about his taking sets of Beetles, & have waited till post-time but have no letter from him yet.

A.R.W.