WCP745

[1]

Nov^r. 9th. <1905>¹

Broadstone

My dear Fred²

I have just got your [MS burned] Oct^r. 17th. but which did not leave <P.> of Spain till the 24th. I was very <glad> to hear that your fever & boils were getting well, but still no word ab<out> the departure for Santa Catalina — land of promise! I am very glad <you> seem to like Captain & Mrs. <Boynton>³ you ought to have a fine time there.

A few days after I had written to <you> with a copy of Mr. Hartert’s⁴ letter about birds & butterflies &c. I had a reply <from> Mr. Schill⁵ (whose address is now — "The <Elms> Macclesfield) telling me that through pressure of business and family trou<ble> he has been able to give no time <to the> collections. He also says — "I often [MS burned] why I did not hear from Mr. B<irch> I thought it was arranged [MS burned] to be sent to me [MS burned] [2] [MS burned] take the lot or select what I <wa>nted, & in either case make an <of>fer to suit the case. None ever came <a>nd I have been rather glad because <I> have been so terribly busy for years now, that I have next to no time to attend to what I have let alone any fresh [MS burned]tings... I should very much like to <see> what he sends but I should probably <confine> myself to certain groups, and to the easily recognised species in those groups. Consequently I could not give an all round <p>rice for what he collects, as I have not the time to attend to resetting. Nor could I offer a definite price each to pick before I saw what sort of things he sends. I am <wi>lling to pay reasonable prices for what [MS burned] and send the rest to his family <in Liver>pool, keeping what I select separate [MS burned] whether my offer suits him". [MS burned] ^perhaps that this will not be very [3] satisfactory, and asks me to suggest <a> plan. As it seemed "not quite sa<tisfactory> because he might take very few, [MS burned] I would make further enquiries, & <wrote> to ^{an old friend}, Dr. David Sharp,⁶ Curator of the Un<iversity> Museum at Cambridge and a life-<long> Entomologist, asking if he knew of a large buyer of Exotic coleoptera who [MS burned] give a fair price for first choice of <yours> from Santa Catalina. In reply he <said> that collectors of exotic beetles were <an> "extinct species" in England, but he ga<ve> me the address of a wealthy French Collector, who was he said a "great friend <of> his", and who had bought all Bates'⁷ Colle<ction> of beetles. So I at once wrote to him if he was inclined to purchase a complete set or a large selection <of> beetles from the Orinoco Delta [MS burned] could say what price he [MS burned] specimens in either [MS burned] [4] [MS burned] <I> received his reply in French, of [MS burned] (all but the compliments) I enclose <a> translation. (see p 7.)

This seems to me very promising, as there <are> evidently two brothers, one of whom collects C. the other Lep. He wrote to me from the <Auto>mobile Club at Paris, so I fancy they <are> country gentlemen with entomology <and> motoring for hobbies. Then as to <pri>ces, I wrote to Waterhouse⁸ at the British Museum, who has charge of the Coleoptera, to <as>k him what they give now for the pick <of> good collections, or what he considers <a> fair price, telling him you were going <to> give up Janson.⁹ I await his reply & <hope> it will come tomorrow before I have <to> post this. Now, if when you receive [MS burned] you have not gone to Santa Catalina [MS burned] any collections by you I think you [MS burned] send the beetles to France, [MS burned] asking M. Oberthur¹⁰ [5] (5) to send the remainder to Mr Schill. [MS burned] On second thoughts I think it would <be> more advisable for you to send a [MS burned] series (2 specimens of each sp. where avail<able> to Tring for Lep. and to France for Col. and yourself to choose the best seco<nd> set of Col. for Mr. Schill, and of Lep. <for> France, telling them of course that it <is> a second set, and making a slight reduction in the price asked — both returning what they do not want to Wavertree. By sending them thus in [MS burned] lots^{they will go by parcel post, and} you will be able more easily to k<now> what each has taken. Of course you att<ach> a number to each species, and ^keep a list a note ^Reference book of all you get, noting the [MS burned] and if you know it the Genus, and of all [MS burned] or remarkable things a lit. sketch & a [MS burned] description ^{which will be suff. For} you ^{to identify.} Then I have no doubt [MS burned] will send you the names of [MS burned] and the numbers ^{referring to} [MS burned] [6] (6) [MS burned] you will thus get a lot of useful & <interesting> information. You had better also [MS burned] for reference ^pinned the 3rd. series for yourself <wit>h any broken or worn specimens of 1st. or 2nd. <se>ries. Then any of the rare or new species <which> you get afterwards you can send to <those> who took the 2nd. lot, and knowing which <are> new you could safely send them to <the> B. Museum asking a good price for them. [MS burned] 10.) I have just got Waterhouse’s reply. <He> says:- "I hardly know how to answer you. <W>hat some of the dealers do is to fix a price <acc>ording to number taken — if only 6 taken each — if 12, 2/6 — if 50, 2/- if 200, 1/- more 6d.²³ I think some such plan <would> do. This its of course for 1st. pick. <Seco>nd pick should be much less." <It> seems to me promising as a general [MS burned] think he makes too much difference [MS burned] larger quantities. When more [MS burned] or large collector [MS incomplete].

[7]

Translation of part of letter [MS burned]

M. René Oberthür, Rennes, [MS burned]

Ille et Vilaine, F<rance> [MS burned]

"Willingly I will buy beetles coll<ected> by your friend, but I cannot <fix> a price before knowing exactly <what> you propose.

As you know, the value of a par<ticular> coleoptera depends not only on <the> rarity of the specimens but on the<ir> condition.

If you will send me some speci<mens> not pinned, I will give you my opinion of them, but I should [MS burned] you to send me a small<collec<tion> of all sorts of beetles, and <yourself> fix a price.

If you also have Lepidoptera my brother will buy some. Dr. <Hartert> of Tring was at Rennes a fe[MS burned] since, and he has spoken t[MS burned] Collection from Trinidad [MS burned]

Your friend [MS burned] [8] (8) [MS burned] there some good species of <orchids>. Do you know if he sends any to Europe".

[MS burned] like Mr. Schill it shows that they are <r>are or new, only there would be more <s>mall and obscure things. If you get <a> really fine collⁿ. of beetles at Santa Catalina <I> think we may ask 2/- or 2/6 all round [MS burned] ^{lowest 2 francs} <for> 1st. pick and 6d. or 9^d. less for 2nd. pick. but we need not hurry. Let us see what <they> say to the first sample lot; and then <when> you send a really good lot from S. C., if you will send me the number of [MS burned] the chief families in it — Carabidae, Longicornes, Curculionidae, Lamellicorns, <Ly>canidae, Buprestidae — I think I shall <be> able to judge what price to ask. Before [MS burned] time I shall perhaps be able to get [MS burned] <in>formation. I will now reply generally [MS burned], & Macclesfield, and I think [MS burned] <beetles> & 2 of Lep. You will [9] 9 be able to do very well without J<anson.>

Should you find an Agent in Ame<rica> you can send the rest of your du<plicates> to him, & see what price he gets <for> them. As good specimens from a [MS burned] locality they may be saleable at [MS burned] prices.

As to the Caecilias plenty seems to <be> known of their anatomy embryology and also of their general habits. [MS burned] are Amphibians with the habits of earth-worms, just as the slow wo<rms> are lizards with the habits of sn<akes.> Even if you had known they were [MS burned] Tucuche you would probably know more than you do now, and it is likely you could have seen or [MS burned] one even if you had carried a [MS burned] pick to the top of the mount<ain> natives no doubt do cat[MS burned] or specimens [MS burned] [10] [MS burned]d Probably they come to the surface at night.

It was curious your dreaming about doctors <in> your fever. Did you have a doctor? Pray don’t have fever any more! Now you know what it is and that if you get it again, you will become more subject <by> it, perhaps you will really consider eating and drinking of some importance, and not pride yourself on your power of "living on anything", or on doing the work of 2 niggers! Good and really nourishing food is far more important in the tropics than at home, <an>d more nourishment is required on account <of> the incessant perspiration, and the greater [MS burned] due to high temperatures.

A couple of months back Mr. Thayer¹¹ [MS burned]e a letter on which he had paid [MS burned] dollar postage! It contained a [MS burned] set of rough papers on his [MS burned] as to protective [11] colouration, and lots of pieces of papers! and butterflies cut out <from> wall-papers, and a number of <rather> bad photos. out of focus of skun<k> & other animals, showing as he thinks that all the colours and mar<kings> of all mammals & birds, however conspicuous, are really protect<ive> under some aspects & from cer<tain> points of view. He exaggerates a good deal, but I believe he <is> considerably right, and that even [MS burned] almost innumerable cases of "Recognition Marks" have been so a[MS burned] & guided under the constant act<ion> of a most rigid natural selection [MS burned] they never interfere with and often help the almost universal [MS burned] for concealment at some [MS burned] But he wants to apply <it> [MS burned] conspicuous [MS burned] [12] [MS burned]dae Wasps, & Coral Snakes, &c. there I think he is quite wrong. It is a point on which you can observe. I shall tell M. Oberthür that you know <no>thing about Orchids, as ^{and that} you will have all <your> work cut out collecting Insects & Birds. <I> shall write to him and to Tring telling <them> both that you will send these sets <of> your first collections, and will accept Mr. Rothschild’s offer. Also to Mr Schill telling him that you have arranged to send first set of beetles to France, but will send him the second set for him <to> select from. I will also enquire [MS burned] Mr. Rothschild¹² likes the moths sent — [MS burned]ned, set, or in papers. I will also tell <Mr.> Schill why you did not send anything to him, having [MS burned] &c.

[MS burned] now. I hope next to hear that [MS burned] or that you really are [MS burned]

[MS burned] <Alfred> R. Wallace [signature]