WCP760

[1]

Broadstone, <Wimborne.>

Sept^r [MS burned] <1906>¹

My dear Fred²

I received yours <of> [MS burned] on Saturday evening (Sep. 8), a<nd in> accordance with Mr. Thayer’s³ wish <I> sent your previous letter about the [MS burned] &c. to Prof. Poulton,⁴ & have also to[MS burned] that I have a very long letter of a [MS burned] ago from Mr. T.- with photos. of ant[MS burned] & will send them if he wishes to see[MS burned]

As to your own affairs, you see<m> drawn so many ways that, until you decided on the one course to which <you> are to be subordinated, neither I n<or any> one else can advise you usefully. <I> therefore only now give my opin<ion> [MS burned] few of the special points you refe[MS burned] health, I am convinced that the [MS burned] and general health-condition [MS burned] forest regions are as [MS burned] in this [MS burned] [2] [MS burned]thier than the N. E. States of [MS burned], with their excessive and sudden [MS burned]ges of temperature, or than many [MS burned]ts of England: and ^{they are} especially healthy <for> children owing to the possibility of their [MS burned]ng always in pure air.

<As> to the possibility of living by your own <lab>our on the land, I should say the <ad>vantages of, say, B. Guiana as compared to England or the U.S., are as three or <fou>r to one — or even more.

As to earning a moderate competence [MS burned] a few years pleasurable work. I know <no> way so sure as collecting in a rich [MS burned] and I can hear of no district [MS burned] to be so rich as that to be reached [MS burned] Iquitos as a centre. For an [MS burned] there is probably nothing to [MS burned]ote, as it is wonderfully dry [MS burned] <dis>tance of [MS burned] hills [3] and mountain’s where the rain f<all> <is> very heavy and the vegetation [MS burned] luxuriant. But, for that reason would probably not be rich in [MS burned] Spruce⁵ found it very rich in plants, [MS burned] made continual excursions, of a [MS burned] or weeks, to all the surrounding [MS burned] & forests — but this would not pay [MS burned] entomological collector, and all the [MS burned] is on foot, which is very expensive <at> best ^{to Iquitos,} but I fear a long way behind, [MS burned] be one of the old settlements on <the> Demerara river, where there are [MS burned] villages near and abundant roa<d> [MS burned] paths through the forest.

Now I will say a few words [MS burned] Thayers’ extreme "protection-by-colou<ration".> I have no doubt that there a<re> [MS burned] in h<?> [4] [MS burned]s of so many mammals & birds [MS burned] <ad>mirable & conclusive, and he has [MS burned]edit of it all over the world. But in [MS burned]sent extension ^of the protection-idea to colouration whatever, I think he is very [MS burned]ly wrong. Nature is far too complex [MS burned]er forces are too nicely balanced, [MS burned]one made of protection in the struggle <for> life to be the almost exclusive one. <I> know that there are extensive groups <of in>sects that are in various ways inedible <and> hurtful to the usual enemies of such <crea>tures, and we see also that in a great [MS burned]rity of these are gaudily or conspicuously [MS burned]ed; and ^also that they do not seek <conseal>ment, as do the protectively coloured [MS burned] Then, there is the other set of facts [MS burned] femlaes are protectively coloured [MS burned]les are conspicuous — and [MS burned] female [MS burned]nest [5] (5) are just as gaudy & conspicuous <as the> males -^, while in the very same [MS burned] thousands of other birds equally g<audy> & conspicuous in the male, have [MS burned] female — on the upper side at all [MS burned] of highly protective colours, and [MS burned] all without exception sit on op<en> nests. — Then there are the [MS burned] number of birds, which have, for [MS burned] species, characteristic ^white spots or ban<ds on> the wings or tail which are not [MS burned] during flight — so also the rab[MS burned] white under-side of tail only <seen> when running — and the Spring [MS burned] white patch above the tail, on [MS burned] by the retraction of the hair — <when> running! Then if th we [MS burned] these the enormous numbers [MS burned] of the cases of insects [MS burned] species [MS burned] qu[MS burned] [6] [MS burned] <s>tretch of imagination he [MS burned]nied as having been brought <o>ut for purposes of concealment, [MS burned] have probably not less than [MS burned] fourth of all insects which [MS burned]ain the protection they need [MS burned] other ways than by being <con>cealed from their enemies.

Yet there is I think a certain <am>ount of truth in Mr.Thayer’s [MS burned] <vi>ew dependent on the fact that [MS burned] insect-eating animals have to <lear>n by experience what is inedable [MS burned] dangerous. In this process a <cer>tain "toll" of each species is taken, [MS burned] in many cases it will be an <advan>tage to diminish this "toll", [MS burned] <ca>n be done by such an [MS burned] ing" [MS burned]se, [7] and with certain enemi<es> [MS burned] also tend to concealment [MS burned] these cases are I think not numerous, or very important.

There are hardly any combin[MS burned] of colour which may not in [MS burned] positions & with certain su[MS burned] become hardly visible, but this [MS burned] very little use to the species <if> its usual positions and hau<nts> is undoubtedly conspicuous [MS burned] the hundreds of Euch[MS burned] Jacobeae I saw the other da<y> exposing themselves on the Rag[MS burned] I daresay two or three of these [MS burned] so placed on the same pla[MS burned] the flowers, as to be almost [MS burned] but that would not affect [MS burned] in nature they [MS burned] fut[MS burned] [8] by the great majority of <insec>tivorious animals.

I shall hope to hear soon that <yo>u ^have been able with your friends’ <ass>istance to decide on some <co>urse of action that will be <li>kely to be successful,- and I <al>so hope it will not be one <tha>t will involve giving up your <ca>reer as a collecting & observing <na>turalist for which you are so <pe>culiarly fitted.

Believe me | Yours very Sincerely | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]