386 DISTRIBUTION OF SHELLS, [chap. xvii. 



for not one single sea-shell is known to be common to 

 the islands of that ocean and to the west coast of 

 America. The space of open sea running north and 

 south off the west coast, separates two quite distinct 

 conchological provinces ; but at the Galapagos Archipelago 

 we have a halting-place, where many new forms have 

 been created, and whither these two great conchological 

 provinces have each sent several colonists. The American 

 province has also sent here representative species ; for 

 there is a Galapageian species of Monoceros, a genus 

 only found on the west coast of America ; and there 

 are Galapageian species of Fissurella, and Cancellaria, 

 genera common on the west coast, but not found (as 

 I am informed by Mr. Gumming) in the central islands 

 of the Pacific. On the other hand, there are Galapageian 

 species of Oniscia and Stylifer, genera common to the 

 West Indies, and to the Chinese and Indian seas, but 

 not found either on the west coast of America or in the 

 central Pacific. I may here add, that after the comparison 

 by Messrs. Gumming and Hinds of about two thousand 

 shells from the eastern and western coasts of America, 

 only one single shell was found in common, namely, 

 the Purpura patula, which inhabits the West Indies, 

 the coast of Panama, and the Galapagos. We have, 

 therefore, in this quarter of the world, three great conch- 

 ological sea-provinces, quite distinct, though surprisingly 

 near each other, being separated by long north and 

 south spaces either of land or of open sea. 



I took great pains in collecting the insects, but, excepting 

 Tierra del Fuego, I never saw in this respect so poor a 

 country. Even in the upper and damp region I pro- 

 cured very few, excepting some minute Diptera and 

 Hymenoptera, mostly of common mundane forms. As 

 before remarked, the insects, for a tropical region, are 

 of very small size and dull colours. Of beetles I collected 

 twenty-five species (excluding a Dermestes and Corynetes, 

 imported wherever a ship touches) ; of these, two belong 

 to the HarpalidcB, two to the HydrophilidcE, nine to three 

 families of the Heteromera, and the remaining twelve to 

 as many different families. This circumstance of insects 

 (and I may add plants), where few in number, belonging to 

 many different families, is, I believe, very general. Mr. 

 Waterhouse, who has published* an account of the insects 



* Ann. and Mag. of Natural History, vol. xvi. p. 19, 



