398 GALAPAGOS ARCHIPELAGO. [chap. xvii. 



their climates, it must be between the windward group (namely 

 Charles and Chatham Islands), and that to leeward ; but there 

 seems to be no corresponding difference in the productions of 

 these two halves of the archipelago. 



The only light which I can throw on this remarkable differ- 

 ence in the inhabitants of the different islands, is, that very strong 

 currents of the sea running in a westerly and W.N.W. direction 

 must separate, as far as transportal by the sea is concerned, the 

 southern islands from the northern ones ; and between these 

 northern islands a strong N.W. current was observed, which 

 must effectually separate James and Albemarle Islands. As the 

 archipelago is free to a most remarkable degree from gales of wind; 

 neither the birds, insects, nor lighter seeds, would be blown from 

 island to island. And lastly, the profound depth of the ocean 

 between the islands, and their apparently recent (in a geological 

 sense) volcanic origin, render it highly unlikely that they were 

 ever united ; and this, probably, is a far more important consi- 

 deration than any other, with respect to the geographical distri- 

 bution of their inhabitants. Reviewing the facts here given, one 

 is astonished at the amount of creative force, if such an expres- 

 sion may be used, displayed on these small, barren, and rocky 

 islands ; and still more so, at its diverse yet analogous action on 

 points so near each other. I have said that the Galapagos Archi- 

 pelago might be called a satellite attached to America, but it 

 should rather be called a group of satellites, physically similar, 

 organically distinct, yet intimately related to each other, and all 

 related in a marked, though much lesser degree, to the great 

 American continent. 



I will conclude my description of the natural history of these 

 islands, by giving an account of the extreme tameness of the 

 birds. 



This disposition is common to all the terrestrial species ; 

 namely, to the mocking-thrushes, the finches, wrens, tyrant-fly- 

 catchers, the dove, and carrion-buzzard. All of them often 

 approached sufficiently near to be killed with a switch, and 

 sometimes, as I myself tried, with a cap or hat. A gun is here 

 almost superfluous ; for with the muzzle I pushed a hawk off the 

 branch of a tree. One day, whilst lying down, a mocking- 



