They are both indeed excellent papers.--Believe me yours very sincerely,
CHARLES DARWIN.
Do try what hard work will do to banish painful thoughts.[45]
P.S.--During one of the later French voyages, a _wild_ pig was killed
and brought from the Aru Islands to Paris. Am I not right in inferring
that this must have been introduced and run wild? If you have a clear
opinion on this head, may I quote you?
* * * * *
_5 Westbourne Grove Terrace, W. January 31, [1865?]._
Dear Darwin,--Many thanks for your kind letter. I send you now a few
more papers. One on Man is not much in your line. The other three are
bird lists, but in the introductory remarks are a few facts of
distribution that may be of use to you, and as you have them already in
the _Zoological Proceedings_, you can cut these up if you want
"extracts."
I hope you do not very much want the Aru pig to be a domestic animal run
wild, because I have no doubt myself it was the species peculiar to the
New Guinea fauna (_Sus papuensis_, Less.), a very distinct form. I have
no doubt it is this species, though I did not get it myself there,
because I was told that on a small island near, called there Pulo babi
(Pig Island), was a race of pigs (different from and larger than those
of the large islands) which had originated from the wreck of a large
ship near a century ago.
Pages:
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257