WCP756

[1]

Broadstone, Wi<mborne>

May 25th. <1906>¹

My dear Fred²

I hope you are now comfortably settled in Mr. Thayer’s³ [MS burned] home and rapidly recovering your he<alth> though even after your leg-abscess is <healed> it will be necessary to be very careful [MS burned] a long time, as the least knock on the same place or any extra fatigues <or> strain of the limb might cause inflammation & a renewal of the abscess. But with care you ought, <in> a few months to be as well as [MS burned]

I shall be much interested in <an> account of your temporary home and surroundings. It will I <am> sure be a great delight to you, [MS burned] the unfolding beauties of an Am[MS burned] spring, which though not really <as> beautiful as ours, yet is [MS burned] the charm of novelty [MS burned] of nature [MS burned] [2] [MS burned] not know whether you have written [MS burned]y of your prospective purchasers of <ins>ects. I have not done so as I have <no>thing definite to say. As however you <wi>ll now have plenty of time for <wri>ting you might write to Tring, and the French gentleman & to Poulton,⁴ to <exp>lain the situation.

Before you again start on your voyage <to> Para and Iquitos it will be well if you <send> home all the ^heavy baggage, books &c, that <you> do not absolutely require, especially [MS burned] all land transport in the Andes, even for a few days only will be very costly. <Mr.> Thayer will no doubt advise with you <on> this matter, and your own experience [MS burned] will teach you what you least [MS burned].

[MS burned] thinking of editing Dr Spruce’s⁵ [MS burned] his travels on the Amazon [MS burned] executor [3] wishes me to undertake, though [MS burned] not quite certain that any pu[MS burned] will take the risk & pay a reas<onable> royalty. You will see by the [MS burned] of Spruce which I have printed <in> my "Life"⁶ how full of interest th[MS burned]

A few weeks back I received an advertisement circular of a new [MS burned] book on Lepidoptera, to be published <in> German & English, and to be on so[MS burned] a plan that I at once agree subscribed to a portion of it. It purports to be <a> complete illustrated sSynopsis of [MS burned] Lepidoptera of the world — the first volume to contains those of the P[MS burned] Region only — another vol. the But [MS burned] of the rest of the World, and a [MS burned] Moths. It is to come out in par[MS burned] each. of quarto size, with [MS burned] from 6 or 7 up to 30 [MS burned] side only [4] [MS burned] in colours with specific name & [MS burned] <be>low each figure. A specimen of the [MS burned]press [MS burned]^{and 2 plates)} shows the plan to be to describe [MS burned] or new ^several species of each genus pretty fu>lly, and to indicate all the allied forms [MS burned] a differential character, quite short, [MS burned] <wi>th locality. Thus, all the species of the <bu>tterflies, I suppose, will be recognisable. [MS burned] volume is ^{to be} complete in itself and can [MS burned] subscribed for separately, so I have described for the Exotic butterflies only, [MS burned] , if it comes out pretty quickly ^{(as promised)} hope [MS burned] be able to follow & identify many [MS burned] your captures as well as to see figures [MS burned] of the wonderful things Mr. Rothschild⁷ [MS burned] been getting lately from the mountains <of New> Guinea. I am sorry to say the size is so [MS burned] (13 x 10 inches) which will make binding [MS burned] the volume cumbersome, but [MS burned] is excellent. No more till [MS burned]

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