My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org

198 MY LIFEbecause they are so much more influenced by surroundingcircumstances ;and third, because the speciesseem to change more quickly, and therefore disguisea comparatively recent identity. Thus the insectsof adjacent regions, though originally distinct, maybecome rapidly amalgamated, or portions of the sameregion may come to be inhabited by very distinctinsect-faunas owing to differences of soil, climate, etc.This is strikingly shown here, where the insect-faunafrom Malacca to New Guinea has a very large amountof characteristic uniformity, while Australia, from itsdistinct climate and vegetation, shows a wide difference.I am inclined to think, therefore, that a preliminarystudy of, first, the mammals, and then thebirds, is indispensable to a correct understanding ofthe geographical and physical changes on which thepresent insect-distribution depends, . . ." In a day or two I leave for Timor, where, if Iam lucky in finding a good locality, I expect somefine and interesting insects,"My last two letters before coming home werewritten in the wilds of Sumatra to Bates and Silk,An extract from the letter to Bates will give someidea of the difficulty I had in finding good collectingplaces," I am here making what I intend to be my lastcollections, but am doing very little in insects, as itis the wet season and all seems dead. I find in thosedistricts where the seasons are strongly contrastedthe good collecting time is very limited—only abouta month or two at the beginning of the dry, and afew weeks at the commencement of the rains. It isnow two years since I have been able to get anybeetles, owing to bad localities and bad weather, so Iam becoming disgusted. When I do find a good