To A. R. Wallace 29 January [1865]1
Down. | Bromley. | Kent. S.E.
Jan 29
My dear Wallace
I must ease my mind by saying how much I admire the two papers you have sent me.2 That on parrots contained most new matter to me, & interested me extremely;3 That in the Geograph. Journal strikes me as an epitome of the whole theory of Geograph. distribution4 the comparison of Borneo & New Guinea,—the relation of the volcanic outbursts & the required subsidence,—& the comparison of the supposed conversion of the Atlantic into a great archipelago seemed to me the 3 best hits.5 They are both indeed excellent papers.—
Believe me yours very sincerely | Charles Darwin
Do try what hard work will do to banish painful thoughts.6
P.S. During one of the later French Voyages, a wild pig was killed & brought from the Aru Islands to Paris.7 Am I not right in inferring that this must have been introduced & run wild. If you have a clear opinion on this head, may I quote you?8
Footnotes
Bibliography
Blainville, Henri Marie Ducrotay de. 1841–55. Ostéographie, ou description iconographique comparée du squelette et du système dentaire des cinq classes d’animaux vertébrés récents et fossiles pour servir de base à la zoologie et à la géologie. 3 vols. and atlas (2 vols.). Paris: Arthus Bertrand.
Camerini, Jane R. 1993. Evolution, biogeography, and maps: an early history of Wallace’s line. Isis 84: 700–27.
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Foundations: The foundations of the Origin of Species. Two essays written in 1842 and 1844 by Charles Darwin. Edited by Francis Darwin. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1909. [Reprint edition. New York: Kraus Reprint Co. 1969. Also reprinted in De Beer ed. 1958.]
Marginalia: Charles Darwin’s marginalia. Edited by Mario A. Di Gregorio with the assistance of Nicholas W. Gill. Vol. 1. New York and London: Garland Publishing. 1990.
Nathusius, Hermann von. 1864. Vorstudien für Geschichte und Zucht der Hausthiere zunächst am Schweineschädel. 1 vol. and atlas. Berlin: Wiegandt und Hempel.
Notebooks: Charles Darwin’s notebooks, 1836–1844. Geology, transmutation of species, metaphysical enquiries. Transcribed and edited by Paul H. Barrett et al. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press for the British Museum (Natural History). 1987.
Origin 4th ed.: On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. 4th edition, with additions and corrections. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1866.
Origin: On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1859.
Variation: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1868.
Summary
Commends ARW’s papers on parrots
and on the theory of geographical distribution [see 4750].
Wild pigs in Aru Islands must have been introduced and later ran wild. Does ARW have an opinion on the subject?
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-4757
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Alfred Russel Wallace
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- The British Library (Add. MS 46434, f. 49)
- Physical description
- LS(A) 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 4757,” accessed on 26 September 2022, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-4757.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 13