Over a South Atlantic Continent 457 



multiplied abundantly, till now they form a conspicuous 

 element in S. African forest and shrub vegetation. 



Now in a recent paper on "Some general principles of 

 Plant Distribution as illustrated by the South African 

 Flora" {28'/: 23) Bews says: "Of those who have dealt 

 with plant distribution, Darwin and Wallace objected to in- 

 voking geographical change as a solution of every difficul- 

 ty, while Hooker was more inclined to postulate continental 

 extensions to explain the connections between the floras 

 of the southern hemisphere. Schonland, after carefully 

 considering the facts, finds a land connection between South 

 Africa and Australia, and between West Africa and 

 America to afford the simplest explanation." 



So, a quarter century ago it might have seemed a rash 

 speculation to have suggested that the common Fuegian 

 plant Embothrhim coccineum was an Australian migrant 

 that had reached Fuegian shores. The discovery however 

 by members of the Swedish South Polar Expedition, of 

 fossil Proteaceae in the Tertiary strata of Seymour Island, 

 that lies S. E. from Fuegia, converts such a suggestion into 

 a natural explanation. For they found there remains of 

 four species of Lomatia, and two of Knightia. Now, if 

 we confine attention to these three related genera Emho- 

 thrium, Lomatia, and Knightia, the first is now represented 

 by E. lanceolatuvi that is indigenous in S. Chile, also by E. 

 grandiflorum that extends northward into Peru and Ecua- 

 dor. But on the mountains of tropical E. Australia is 

 found E. zv'ickhatni. Lomatia includes nine living species, 

 four of which occur in E. Australia, two in Tasmania, and 

 three in Chile. Knightia has two species In N. Caledonia 

 and N. Zealand. 



If then we collate the evidence of the fossil and of the 

 living plants, a strong confirmatory argument is got for 

 westward migration of genera of the originally Australian 

 family; as well as for a connection — more or less extended 

 — with S. Africa. Drapetes, Allodape {Lebetanthus) , 

 Phyllachne, Veronica eUiptica, and Drosera iinifJora are 

 additional genera and species of S. America that tell a like 

 tale. But the comparative paucity of these, again Indicates 

 that extension of Fuegia eastward was gradually made, 



