BULLETIN U!t, TXITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 47 



tabulations of the pliy>ical Murouiuliiiys under wliicli tlic forms, from indh iduals to 

 genera, liave lived; and a wide range of phenomoiui should be made the subject of 

 experimental physiological investigation. 



The understanding of the relations of organisms to thcii' physical environment 

 is of the utmost importjince to the paleontologist, for it is by the application of such 

 knowledge that he is abl<> to i-econstruct the conditions under wliich organisms now 

 extinct once lived. 



FAUNAL AFFINITIES OF THE HAWAIIAN MADREPORARIA. 



An cxaminatit)n of the last colunm. "Distribution outside Hawaiian Islands, or 

 affinities," of the talile on pages 11 to 21. will show that numerous species and varieties 

 of the corals found in the Hawaiian Islands arc found elsewhere or have close rela- 

 tions in other areas. This remark is true of the reef fauna (1-25 fathoms), the 

 deep-water fauna (100^00 fathoms), and the one occupying the intermediate depth. 

 Sufficient careful descriptive work has not as yet been done on the different areas of 

 the Pacific to warrant detailed comparisons with other areas; besides, the problem 

 of defining specific limits is in an inisatisfactorj' condition. 



Comjmrison wif/i the Punanne fauna. — Only two species from the Hawaiian 

 Islands are actuallj' identified with species from the west coast of America, nameiv: 

 Desmophyllum cristagalU Milne Edward and Haime. which is a deep-water form of 

 universal occurrence, and Sfi-phanaria steUata Verrill, which Quelch reports from 

 the Fiji Islands. The specific resemblance between the faunas of the two areas 

 is not close. 



However, they have the following reef genera in common: 



I'ocillopora Stej>lMnaria Montlpora 



Fung la Dendrophyllia PoTites. 



Pii rmiii 



Several shallow-water species of Punicijathiis have been described l)y Verrill 

 from the Facitic coast. CanjiiphyUia and EndajxivJu/s are found in deeper water. 



Some of the Hawaiian and the Panamic I'ocilloporn' are rather close, the latter 

 suggesting the ligulata group. 



FiiiKjid, patella and F. elegans belong to the same section of Fimgia. 



The Pavonx are close. 



One species of Stephanuria is considered conniK.n to the two areas. 



The DendnjpihijU'r.e are very close. 



The Montiporst are different. 



The PorifeK are. different. 



The Panamic fauna is verj- close to. or the same as, the Galapagos fauna, and is 

 as closely related to the South Pacific fauna as to the Hawaiian. There is nothing 

 to suggest faunal migration between the Hawaiian and Panamic regions. 



Coiiiparii<<>n irith the South Pacific and Indian Ocean faunae. — The results of 

 the comparison is immediately to show affinity. A number of the species are com- 

 mon throughout the area, and others have close lelatives occupying the different 

 areas. One of the most striking things about the Hawaiian fauna is the entire 

 absence oi distinctive genera. Excepting Anthemiphyllin^ and very doubtfully 



