Alfred Russel Wallace 



I must again thank you for your letter, and remain, 

 dear Wallace, yours very sincerely, qh. Darwin. 



I hope to Heaven that politics will not replace natural 

 science. 



I know too well how atrociously bad my handwriting is. 



The Dell, Grays, Essex. December 6, 1874. 



Dear Darwin, — Many thanks for your kindness in send- 

 ing me a copy of your new edition of the " Descent." I 

 see you have made a whole host of additions and correc- 

 tions which I shall have great pleasure in reading over as 

 soon as I have got rid of my horrid book on Geographical 

 Distribution, which is almost driving me mad with the 

 amount of drudgery required and the often unsatisfactory 

 nature of the result. However, I must finish with it soon, 

 or all the part first done will have to be done over again, 

 every new book, either as a monograph, or a classification, 

 putting everything wrong (for me). 



Hoping you are in good health and able to go on with 

 your favourite work, I remain yours very sincerely, 



Alfred E. Wallace. 



The Ddl, Grays, Essex. July 21, 1875. 



Dear Darwin, — Many thanks for your kindness in send- 

 ing me a copy of your new book.^ Being very busy I have 

 only had time to dip into it yet. The account of Utricularia 

 is most marvellous, and quite new to me. I'm rather sur- 

 prised that you do not make any remarks on the origin 

 of these extraordinary contrivances for capturing insects. 

 Did you think they were too obvious ? I daresay there is 

 no difficulty, but I feel sure they will be seized on as in- 

 explicable by Natural Selection, and your silence on the 



* " Insectivorous Plants." 

 284 



