Alfred Russel Wallace 



Down, Beckenhanij Kent June 5, 1876. 



My dear Wallace, — I must have the pleasure of express- 

 ing to you my unbounded admiration of your book,* though 

 I have read only to page 184 — my object having been to do 

 as little as possible while resting. I feel sure that you 

 have laid a broad and safe foundation for all future work 

 on Distribution. How interesting it will be to see here- 

 after plants treated in strict relation to your views; and 

 then all insects, pulmonate molluscs, and fresh-water fishes, 

 in greater detail than I suppose you have given to these 

 lower animals. The point which has interested me most, 

 but I do not say the most valuable point, is your protest 

 against sinking imaginary continents in a quite reckless 

 manner, as was started by Forbes, followed, alas, by 

 Hooker, and caricatured by Wollaston and Murray. By 

 the way, the main impression which the latter author has 

 left on my mind is his utter want of all scientific judg- 

 ment. I have lifted up my voice against the above view 

 with no avail, but I have no doubt that you will succeed, 

 owing to your new arguments and the coloured chart. Of 

 a special value, as it seems to me, is the conclusion that 

 we must determine the areas chiefly by the nature of the 

 mammals. When I worked many years ago on this sub- 

 ject, I doubted much w^hether the now-called Palearctic 

 and Nearctic regions ought to be separated; and I deter- 

 mined if I made another region that it should be Mada- 

 gascar. I have therefore been able to appreciate the value 

 of your evidence on these points. What progress Palae- 

 ontology has made during the last 20 years! But if it 

 advances at the same rate in the future, our views on the 

 migration and birthplace of the various groups will, I 

 fear, be greatly altered. I cannot feel quite easy about 



1 " The Geographical Distribution of Animals." 1876. 

 286 



