'"'.•o.^l Recent Literature. 285 



plant- and .iiiiiM.il- In referring <o the distribution of Florida pi 

 \siili West Indian affinities I" ays: "If I. pedal influence 



in the transport ol seeds, no! the southern portion of Florida but the 

 northern one should show affinities in the flora with the West [ndii 

 In other words, if birds had carried eed during their migrations to north- 

 ern Florida, the vegetation of this portion of the bffini- 

 i i< '.mi li i li<- flora of the West Indies, regardless of climatic barriers thai 

 know would prevent their growth. This is only one of many illustrations 

 thai might be cited to show the author's disregard of climatic conditions 

 as :i factor in determining on a large scale the presenl restrictions of range 

 of plant and animal life 



In reference to crocodiles and alligators, which are found in both Asia 

 and America ' i itho : "The generally accepted theory, I believe, 



oi the American alligator has travelled northward, 

 and succeeded in crossing the former land bridge across Bering Strail to 

 northeastern Asia thence wandering southward to China. We possess no 

 fo lil evidence for such a belief. All we know is thai the rather generalized 

 alligator Diplocynodon lived already at the very commencement of the 

 Tertiary Era both in North America and in Europe, and that il 

 in Europe until Miocene times." Of the crocodile he says: "An equally 

 remarkable fad is that the true crocodile has succeeded in obtaining a foot- 

 ing on the North America continenl in one single small area, namely,. . . 

 in southern Florida." Vet he cites the occurrence of their fossil remains 

 in the Eocene of Wyoming, but makes no admission of the possibilil 

 their occurrence in Tertiary times al intermediate point- bet sveen Wyoming 

 and India in vast regions now pakeontologically very little known or 



dutely unknown On the contrary, 

 they have not spread more widely in America." Hi admits thai "only a 

 land connection between America and the ( )\<\ World in early Tertiary 

 times can explain its [crocodili a1 geographical distribution," but 



he prefers a land bridge across the north Pacific between western No 

 America and eastern Asia to the commonly accepted Bering Strait bridge. 



1 1 contends ' hal ten land bridges are necessary to account for the pres- 

 enl distribution of animal life in America. These may be listed as folio 



1. A North Atlantic land bridge between Scotland, Greenland, and 

 Labrador during recenl geological times. 



2. A North Pacific land bridge al Bering Strait, coincident in timewith 

 the North Atlantic bridge. 



:;. A Mid Ulantic bridge between southern Europeand theWesI Indies. 

 I. \ Mi<l Atlantic bridge between Europe and southeastern North 

 America. 



A S>,nth Atlantic bridge between eastern South America and v. 

 Africa. 

 <;. A South Atlanl ic bridge between Patagonia, South Africa, and Mada- 

 tr, of which he says: "We can gather from :ill tl -ion-: of 



opinion by different authors as to the pasl I history of South 



America 'hat there i- comparatively little agreement on thi- subj< 



