18 FLORA OF ST. CROIX AND THE VIRGIN ISLANDS. 



theory drawn from tlio facts observed in regard to the niutiuil rtlatioii 

 between St. Croix and the Virgin Ishind.s, that geoh)gical rovolntions 

 have been ecjually or perliaps cvi-n more powerfully iutluential in arrang- 

 ing the distribution of species than the greater or smaller distance, and 

 the similarity of physical conditions. 



A full knowledge of these interesting factvS can, however, not be ex- 

 l)ected till a more thorough exploration of all the "West India islands 

 has taken place. Few of them are as yet tolerably well known, and it is 

 therefore earnestly to b(! hoped that such an exploration of all the West 

 Indies may soon be efi'ected, the result of which will no doubt be of 

 the highest importance both to botany and to all other branches of 

 natural science. 



It generally requires the accunudated study and knowledge of gener- 

 ations before the less palpable and more delicate, but often most impor- 

 tant, facts in natural history can be explained : the West Indies have 

 been comparatively well studied since the middle of the last century; 

 and it would seem well now to follow up the work in order to complete 

 a thorough investigation, which might be used as a basis for the ex- 

 planation of similar facts observed in other and less well known parts 

 of the world. 



The flora of the Virgin Islands and St. ("roix has been studied by 

 several botanists, some of whom ha\ «• ])u])lislied the results of their re- 

 search, which has, however, among the former grou]). been rhielly eon- 

 lined to the Danish islands, the English and particularly the S})anish 

 ones having as yet been onlj' imperfectly explored. 



Publications on the flora of these islands ard given by West in his 

 Description of St. Croix (('o])en]iagen, 171)3); Schlechtendal, I'lonila 

 Ins. St. Thonnv, in Linna'a, 1S'_\S-31 and 1S;;4; and Eggers, Flora of St. 

 Croix, in the Vidensk. ^Nledd. fra Naturhist. Forening (Coi)enhagen, 187G) 

 besides minor contributions in Vahl's Eclogju Americauir, Synd)ohe Ik>- 

 tanicae, and Enumeratio i'lantaruin, Krebs in Naturli. Tidsskril't, 1847, 

 on the flora of St. Thonuis, De Candolle's Prodromus, and Grisel)acirs 

 Flora of the British West India Islands. Tliis latter work, no doubt 

 from want t»f nniterial, scarcely ever mentions tiie Ibilish Virgin Islaiuls. 



Collections of jilants from the islands in (luestion are found (-hielly in 

 the Museum of the Botanical Garden in ('«»penhagcn, as well as scat- 

 tered in other European herbaria, (-ollected ])riiu'ipally l)y v. Kolir, West, 

 Dr. Ityan. Ledrn. Kiedle. T/lb'rminier in the ])ast century, by Ilen/.fui, 

 WahlniHun. lClir('nl>erg. Dr. K'avn. Dr. Ilornlteelc. Ducliassaing. SclKtin- 

 iMugU, Pice, W \(llt r. Orsted, Krel>s, and Eggers in the present. 



