130 Java. 



ains, belong to the same genera, and are said by botanists 

 to repi'esent them ; and most of these could not exist in the 

 warm intervening plains. Mr. Darwin believes that this 

 class of facts can be explained in the same way ; for, during 

 the greatest severity of the glacial epoch, temperate forms of 

 plants will have extended to the confines of the tropics, and 

 on its departure will have retreated up these southern mount- 

 ains, as well as northward to the plains and hills of Europe. 

 But in this case, the time elapsed, and the great change of 

 conditions, have allowed many of these plants to become so 

 modified that we now consider them to be distinct species. 

 A variety of other facts of a similar nature have led him to 

 believe that the depression of temperature was at one time 

 sufiicient to allow a few north-temperate plants to cross the 

 Equator (by the most elevated routes) and to reach the Ant- 

 arctic regions, where they are now found. The evidence 

 on which this belief rests, will be found in the latter part. of 

 Chapter II. of the " Origin of Species ;" and, accepting it for 

 the present as a hypothesis, it enables us to account for the 

 presence of a flora of European type on the volcanoes of Java. 

 It will, however, naturally be objected that there is a wide 

 expanse of sea between Java and the continent, which would 

 have effectually prevented the immigration of temperate 

 forms of plants during the glacial epoch. This would un- 

 doubtedly be a fatal objection, were there not abundant evi- 

 dence to show that Java has been formerly connected with 

 Asia, and that the union must have occurred at about the 

 epoch required. The most striking proof of such a junction 

 is that the great Mammalia of Java, the rhinoceros, the tiger, 

 and the Banteng, or wild ox, occur also in Siam and Burmah, 

 and these would certainly not have been introduced by man. 

 The Javanese peacock and several other birds are also com- 

 mon to these two countries; but, in the majority of cases, 

 the species are distinct, though closely allied, indicating that 

 a considerable time (required for such modification) has 

 elapsed since the separation, while it has not been so long as 

 to cause an entire change. Now this exactly corresponds 

 with the time we should require since the tempei'ate forms 

 of plants entered Java. These are almost all now distinct 

 species ; but the changed conditions under which they are 



