408 A ZOOGEOGRAPHIC SCHEME FOR THE MID-PACIFIC, 



excepting huaian. The evidence thus collected sufficiently 

 accounts for the vegetation of low coral islands."* 



Though I have not data to prove the suggestion, I venture to 

 submit that seaweeds have slight extension in the Central Pacific. 

 I was struck by their comparative absence on Funafuti. 

 Kotzebue observes — "Alg*, which seem to be entirely wanting 

 on the low islands, are found on the reefs at the foot of the high 



land."t 



The only terrestrial mammal with any claim to be regarded as 

 native to the Central Pacific is the Rat, JIus exulans. But 

 Thomas; considers that "it has probably travelled from island to 

 island in native canoes or on floating logs, etc., long before Euro- 

 pean ships began to bring over the ubiquitous Grey and Black 

 Rat." Confirmation that such was the case is supplied by 

 Kotzebue, who mentions the opinion of a well informed Marshall 

 islander, '■ Kadu, who seems to think that the rat is only to be 

 found in the company of man, affirms that there are none on 



Bygar."§ 



No Bats have reached the EUice Group. The eastern limit of 



the Dugong does not seem to be definitely known. The farthest 

 i-ecord I have is New Caledonia.|| It certainly does not attain 

 the Central Pacific, and I apprehend that it does not stray beyond 

 the continental area in the southern hemisphere, though in the 

 northern I believe that it reaches the Pelews.H This latter group 

 seems to be a continental outpost in the Northern Pacific, corres- 

 ponding to Fiji in the Southern. 



There is an interesting record of a stray seal having once 

 reached Polynesia. Dr. W. Wyatt Gill wrote: "A native of 

 Mangaia one day came running to me saying that Satan had just 



* Hemsley— Nature, lii. 1895, p. 62,3. 

 t Kotzebue — A Voyage of Discovery into the South Sea and Beerings 

 .Straits, iii. 1S'21, p. 144. 



t Thomas— P.Z.S. 1895, p. 338. 



§ Kotzebue, he. cit. p. 156. 



II J. Gamier — Voyage autour du Monde, 1871, p. 182. 



1[ Kotzebue, op. cit. iii. p. 191. 



