GENERAL CONCLUSIONS 477 



converged in the north. They postulate that when the corridor be- 

 came estabhshed the cognates met, but, because of the degree of 

 separation, remained distinct in cohabitation, behaving here as full 

 species at the respective ends of an otherwise specific continuum 

 (in other words, forming "open circles"). 



In a slightly Chauvanistic vein, these authors close their paper 

 with this exultation: "We may confidently reaffirm and echo A. B. 

 Howell's assertion of thirty years ago that the fauna of the Pacific 

 Coast is of unusual interest and presents many fascinating problems. 

 Californians have a land-bridge laboratory in their own back yard!" 

 But, as is suggested by the references just made to Hovanitz and to 

 Blair, similarly fascinating situations exist outside the Golden West. 

 Zoogeographical gold is where you find it! 



