174 MIGRATION AND DISTRIBUTION 



very difficult to make out, the one drawback in the 

 former case being that you never know what is his and 

 what is his reporter's or note-taker's, for I am one of 

 those who think that his text has been overlaid by some 

 one else. 



The best edition of Aristotle on Animals is that by 

 Aubert and Wimmer, which has a capital index and a 

 German translation to face the Greek, and that I can 

 lend you at any time. I have also Sillig's edition of 

 Pliny, which is said to be the best, and that is equally at 

 your service whenever you are ready for it ; but I 

 suppose you are not going to begin immediately. I think 

 you must not trust Bostock and Riley without comparing 

 their version with the original. The English translations 

 of Aristotle are too misleading to have anything to 

 do with. 



A much more troublesome job will be that offered by 

 the mediaeval writers, if you meddle with them or their 

 successors of the Renaissance, Belm, Gesner and Aldro- 

 vandi ; but you have to be on your guard that 

 " hibernation " as used by them is restricted to its proper 

 meaning — wintering — and not necessarily in a torpid 

 condition. I think the belief in torpidity and sub- 

 mergence is comparatively recent, and it is indeed 

 astonishing what a hold it obtained on otherwise sound- 

 thinking men. Most certainly there is no sign of the 

 real ancients. Homer and Job, holding it. 



If I remember right, Pliny had a great notion of birds 

 being transmuted ; the Cuckow becoming a Sparrow- 

 Hawk in winter, and the Redstart a Redbreast ; but 

 Pliny was a very child-like person in many ways, though 

 he met his end as a man of science should. I have a 

 notion (which may be wrong) that the submergence 

 theory was invented in the North, Olaus Magnus and 

 people of that sort. 



Anyhow a history of opinion on migration would be a 

 delightful thing to write, and write it I hope you will. 



Yours very truly, 



Alfred Newton. 



