440 Evolution and Distribution of Fishes 



nantia, Chloraea, Saxegothea, Philesia, Nanodea and 

 Hamadryas are restricted to Chile-Patagonia. 



All of the features shown by the usually slowly migrat- 

 ing and slowly adaptable plants, are exhibited in equally 

 or even more marked manner by animals. Forbes, as al- 

 ready stated, (p. 607 op. cit.) advocated the existence of 

 an "Antarctica" continent. Lydekker, in rejecting such a 

 view (270:118) says: "It seems advisable to refer to 

 some recent views as to the existence of a great southern 

 circumpolar continent in Tertiary times, extending into 

 comparatively low latitudes, and connected, at all events 

 temporarily, with America, Africa, and Australia. For 

 this continent the name Antarctica has been suggested by 

 Dr. H. O. Forbes, who urges that many of the types of 

 animal life now confined to the southern hemisphere have 

 originated there. It is chiefly to show the fallacy of these 

 latter views that the subject is referred to here, palaeonto- 

 logical evidence clearly proving that several of the groups 

 of animals assumed to be essentially southern, really had a 

 northern origin. It may be premised that according to the 

 view of Dr. Forbes "Antarctica" followed nearly the 2000 

 fathom line, extending northwards from a circumpolar area 

 by broad expansions, one to join an old New Zealand 

 continental island (including the Antipodes, Macquaries, 

 New Zealand, and Chatham, Lord Howe, Norfolk, and 

 the Kermadec and Fiji Islands) ; a second to east Australia 

 and Tasmania; a third to the Mascarene and adjacent 

 islands; perhaps one to South Africa; and finally one to 

 South America." 



Lydekker then takes up the marsupials, parrots, trogons, 

 and struthious birds, as well as the giant land tortoises, 

 "to show the fallacy"- of Forbes' views. But we believe 

 it is possible "to show the fallacy" of Lydekker's views, 

 and the fundamental correctness of those of Forbes. For 

 he assumes throughout that most of those groups which 

 Forbes considers to have originated in, or at least were 

 distributed across, the southern continent originated there. 

 But such is by no means Forbes' fundamental contention. 

 Lydekker first cites the marsupials. But even granting 

 that the Jurassic and Cretaceous jaws and teeth, that have 



