BY C. HEDLEV. 339 



shattered continent and are connected by shallow banks formerly 

 dry land. This continental area I ])ropose to call the Melanesian 

 plateau. Secondly, that this Melanesian plateau was never 

 connected with, nor populated from Australia ; probably its fauna 

 was derived from Papua via New Britain. The pi-esence of 

 genera common to Australia and New Zealand is explicable on 

 the ground that they migrated, not from the one territory to the 

 other, but each from a common source, New Guinea. Thirdly, 

 that New Zealand and New Caledonia were early separated fi'om 

 the northern archipelagoes and ceased to receive overland immi- 

 grants therefrom. Fourthly, that the Fijis remained to a later 

 date in communication with the Solomons, but were severed from 

 that group before the latter had acquired from Papua much of its 

 present fauna. 



