about half written; but I do not suppose I shall
publish under a couple of years. I have now been three whole months on
one chapter on hybridism!

I am astonished to see that you expect to remain out three or four years
more: what a wonderful deal you will have seen; and what an interesting
area, the grand Malay Archipelago and the richest parts of South
America! I infinitely admire and honour your zeal and courage in the
good cause of natural science; and you have my very sincere and cordial
good wishes for success of all kinds; and may all your theories succeed,
except that on oceanic islands, on which subject I will do battle to the
death.--Pray believe me, my dear Sir, yours very sincerely,

C. DARWIN.

* * * * *

LETTER III

C. DARWIN TO A.R. WALLACE

_Down, Bromley, Kent. January 25, 1859._

My dear Sir,--I was extremely much pleased at receiving three days ago
your letter to me and that to Dr. Hooker. Permit me to say how heartily
I admire the spirit in which they are written. Though I had absolutely
nothing whatever to do in leading Lyell and Hooker to what they thought
a fair course of action, yet I naturally could not but feel anxious to
hear what your impression would be. I owe indirectly much to you and
them; for I almost think that Lyell would have proved right and I should
never have completed my larger work, for I have found my abstract[29]
hard enough with my poor health; but now, thank God, I am in my last
chapter but one. My abstract will make a small volume of 400 or 500
pages. Whenever published, I will of course send you a copy, and then
you will see what I mean about the part which I believe selection has
played with domestic productions. It is a very different part, as you
suppose, from that played by "natural selection."

I sent off, by same address as this note, a copy of the _Journal of the
Linnean Society_, and subsequently I have sent some half-dozen copies of
the Paper. I have many other copies at your disposal; and I sent two to
your friend Dr. Davies (?), author of works on men's skulls.

I am glad to hear that you have been attending to birds' nests; I have
done so, though almost exclusively under one point of view, viz. to show
that instincts vary, so that selection could work on and improve them.
Few other instincts, so to speak, can be preserved in a museum.

Many thanks for your offer to look after horses' stripes; if there are
any donkeys