P.S.--You have paid me the highest conceivable compliment by what you
say of your work in relation to my chapters on Distribution in the
"Origin," and I heartily thank you for it.
* * * * *
_The Dell, Grays, Essex. June 7, 1876._
Dear Darwin,--Many thanks for your very kind letter. So few people will
read my book at all regularly, that a criticism from one who does so
will be very welcome.
If, as I suppose, it is only to p. 184 of Vol. I. that you have read,
you cannot yet quite see my conclusions on the points you refer to (land
molluscs and Antarctic continent). My own conclusions fluctuated during
the progress of the book, and I have, I know, occasionally used
expressions (the relics of earlier ideas) which are not quite consistent
with what I say further on. I am positively against any Southern
continent as _uniting_ South America with Australia or New Zealand, as
you will see at Vol. I., pp. 398-403 and 459-466. My general conclusions
as to Distribution of Land Mollusca[101] are at Vol. II., pp. 522-529.
When you have read these passages and looked at the general facts which
lead to them, I shall be glad to hear if you still differ from me.
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