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of our most experienced naturalists has observed, probably 
includes a faith to remove mountains: as I understand 
Mr. Wallace’s argument (he, being one of those who 
stumble at the doctrine of special creations) to account for 
the isolation of certain species in certain of the Islands of the 
Malay Archipelago, heholds that the great Islands of Java, 
and Sumatra may have several times been successively 
submerged, and elevated: he uses the Butterflies greatly 
in his arguments affecting the Geologic history of these 
Islands; and applies the case of these delicate forms to 
theories which concern the movements of the earth’s 
surface of inconceivable antiquity ; shewing thereby his 
faith in their very early arrival at their perfect develop- 
ment; and almost infinitely prolonged existence of these 
fragile organisms ; (surely shaking faith in the view that 
Geologic eras had their own peculiar species; promul- 
gated by Lyell, Darwin, and Parker.) 
These fragile creatures are used to show that one 
portion of land surtace could never have been connected 
with another ; some species never being found in both 
districts. 
Here one must get over the problem how a collector 
who visits in May let us say Lombock ; and Celebes in 
September ; can judge whether or noa certain ‘Iinago’ is 
common to both; would a Naturalist who had spent a 
month between Dover and Folkstone; and then cut his 
way through interminable forests to Lyndhurst: and 
returned by the very same route within two months time ; 
be considered to have sufficient knowledge even of the 
butterflies of the South of England, not to mention its 
Mammalia, Avifauna, and Flora (their superficial study), 
sufficient to determine the Geologic History of Britain. 
If so great things depend upon this isolation ofspecies, 
how is the little detail accounted for that a Papilio, of 
