IXNTNEAIT SOCIETY OF LONDON. xli 



mucli more northern in the tertiary times — that, in consequence of 

 the gradual cooling down of the north, they partly died out, another 

 part, with some exceptions, such as the Reindeer and the Arctic 

 Fox, gradually migrated to more southern regions, where, after the 

 loss of many members not capable of accommodating themselves to 

 altered circumstances (nicht accomodationsfahiger GHeder), they 

 have, although with continuously reduced numbers in genera and 

 species, formed a great part of the present faunas and floras, thus 

 supplying a compensation for the loss experienced in these their 

 new homes of the expiring members of more southern miocene 

 faunas and floras. 



The Eastern Archipelago (the study of whose fauna, as connected 

 with the history of the great changes it has undergone by successive 

 submersions and upheavals, has been rendered so interesting by the 

 well-known labours of A. E.. Wallace) calls imperatively the atten- 

 tion of botanists to the search of facts derived from its flora in confir- 

 mation or refutation of these views. Unfortunately we are in this 

 respect very much in arrear. The botany of New Guinea is almost 

 wholly unknown ; and from Celebes we have but very Uttle. Sumatra, 

 Java, the Philippines, Timor, and a part of Borneo have been more 

 generally explored ; and large collections of their plants have been 

 deposited, chiefly in the Leyden Herbarium, but also in considerable 

 numbers in that of Kew and in some others ; but even these mate- 

 rials have been but little worked up in a manner to be available for 

 the geographical botanist. The two eminent Dutch botanists who 

 had successively charge of the Leyden collections contributed much 

 in various ways to the progress of the science, and especially to our 

 knowledge of the flora of the principal Dutch islands, but without 

 leaving any satisfactory general view of all that was known on that 

 of the whole archipelago. Blume's ' Bijdragen tot de Flora van 

 Nedcrlandsch Indie,' drawn up and published at Batavia when he 

 was still very young, was a wonderful work considering the means 

 at his disposal ; and after his retui'u to Europe he commenced eluci- 

 dating with equal ability and in greater detail several orders con- 

 nected with that flora (' Flora Javse,' 'Eumphia,' ' Museum Lugduno- 

 Batavense ') ; but as general works all these remained incomplete. 

 Miquel drew up a ' Flora Indise Batavae,' purposing to be complete 

 as far as his materials allowed ; but it was far too hastily compiled, 

 without the necessary critical examination of genera and species. 

 Copying much from previous partial publications of various authors, 

 without comparison with specimens independently described, the 

 repetitions, bad species, and erroneous determinations are very nu- 



