WCP811

[1]

Broadstone, Wimborne

Nov^r. 14th. 1904

G. A. Boulenger¹ Esq.

Dear Sir

I am sending you my fish-drawings today by parcel-post. They are roughly sorted. Also 4 rough note-books,² giving a few characters to supplement drawings, notes of colour, habits, locality &c. But some of these, especially the 2nd. small one, are mostly illegible. The other will I fear be little use to you, as I know nothing of the characters used in classifying fishes except ordinary external ones used by the [2] old authors. However I have sent them in case you may, for some of the species, wish to refer to them.

I am now writing an "Autobiography"³ at the request of my family & my publishers, and should like to be able to give a few particulars as to these drawings, — number of species preponderance of certain families &c. and perhaps half a dozen of the most [3] curious forms photographed to size of page.

In the case of the very small fishes I always enquired of the fishermen if they were the young of larger ones & only figured those which those they assured me did not grow much bigger. But of course they may have been mistaken, though they have names for almost every species.

Yours very truly | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]

P.S.

Can you inform me if Mr. Edwin C. Reed⁴ who lived many years in Chile is still alive and if so, what is his present address.⁵ He was interested in Natural History.

A.R.W.