I855-] 



IXSECTA MADERENSIA. 



45 



very curious point in the astounding proportion of Coleoptera 

 that are apterous ; and I think I have guessed the reason, 

 viz. that powers of flight would be injurious to insects inhab- 

 iting a confined locality, and expose them to be blown to the 

 sea : to test this, I find that the insects inhabiting the Dezerte 

 Grande, a quite small islet, would be still more exposed to 

 this danger, and here the proportion of apterous insects is 

 even considerably greater than on Madeira proper. Wollaston 

 speaks of Madeira and the other Archipelagoes as being 

 "sure and certain witnesses of Forbes' old continent," and of 

 course the Entomological world implicitly follows this view. 

 But to my eyes it would be difficult to imagine facts more 

 opposed to such a view. It is really disgusting and humil- 

 iating to see directly opposite conclusions drawn from the 

 same facts. 



I have had some correspondence with Wollaston on this 

 and other subjects, and I find that he coolly assumes, (i) that 

 formerly insects possessed greater migratory powers than 

 now, (2) that the old land was specially rich in centres of 

 creation, (3) that the uniting land was destroyed before the 

 special creations had time to diffuse, and (4) that the land 

 was broken down before certain families and genera had 

 time to reach from Europe or Africa the points of land in 

 question. Are not these a jolly lot of assumptions ? and yet 

 I shall see for the next dozen or score of years Wollaston 



Madeira, the Cape de Verdes, 

 and St. Helena, whence he deduced 

 evidence in support of the belief 

 in the submerged continent of 

 'Atlantis.' In an obituary notice 

 by Mr. Rye ('Nature,' 1878) he 

 is described as working persis- 

 tently " upon a broad conception of 

 the science to which he was de- 

 voted," while being at the same 

 time "accurate, elaborate, and 

 precise ad fiunctum, and naturally 



of a minutely critical habit." His 

 first scientific paper was written 

 when he was an undergraduate at 

 Jesus College, Cambridge. While 

 at the University, he was an Asso- 

 ciate and afterwards a Member of 

 the Ray Club : this is a small 

 society which still meets once a 

 week, and where the undergraduate 

 members, or Associates, receive 

 much kindly encouragement from 

 their elders. 



