172 GALAPAGOS ARCHIPELAGO. 



ent islands is, that very strong cunents of the sea, 

 running in a westerly and W.N.W. direction, must 

 separate, as far as transportal by the sea is con- 

 cerned, the southern islands from the northern 

 ones ; and between these northern islands a strong 

 N. W. cuiTent was observed, which must effectually 

 separate James and Albemarle Islands. As the 

 archipelago is free to a most remarkable degree 

 from gales of wind, neither the birds, insects, nor 

 lighter seeds would be blown from island to isl- 

 and. And lastly, the profound depth of the ocean 

 between the islands, and their apparently recent 

 (in a geological sense) volcanic origin, render it 

 highly unlikely that they were ever united ; and 

 this, probably, is a far more important considera- 

 tion than any other, with respect to the geographi- 

 cal distribution of their inhabitants. Reviewing 

 the facts here given, one is astonished at the 

 amount of creative force, if such an expression 

 may be used, displayed on these small, barren, and 

 rocky islands, and still more so at its diverse yet 

 analogous action on points so near each other. I 

 have said that the Galapagos Archipelago might 

 be- called a satellite attached to America, but it 

 should rather be called a group of satellites, phys- 

 ically similar, organically distinct, yet intimately 

 related to each other, and all related in a marked, 

 though much lesser degi-ee, to the great American 

 continent. 



I will conclude my description of the natural 

 history of these islands by giving an account of 

 the extreme tameness of the birds. 



This disposition is common to all the terrestrial 

 species ; namely, to the mocking-thrushes, the 

 finches, wrens, tyrant flycatchers, the dove, and 

 carrion-buzzard. All of them often approached 



