Fortunate Islands 



The most puzzling of all are the archaic and old- 

 fashioned conifers, which are dotted about in the most 

 remarkable way, as shown below. 



Here again one finds the three competing theories 

 (see Chap. IX., The Antarctic) : (i) Those who have got 

 into the habit of evoking continents will assume some 

 ancient antarctic continent linking up all these isolated 

 spots. (2) They may all be survivals of a very ancient 

 flora, which probably travelled from somewhere in Asia 

 or Europe. These places might all be described as 

 Land's Ends, and the last to be invaded by newer kinds 

 of plants. (3) Various ordinary and extraordinary 

 methods of carrying fruits and seeds might account 

 for them. Winds, birds, drifted timber, and possibly 

 icebergs might be responsible for this confusing and 

 remarkable distribution. 



Belonging as they do to a very ancient type of plant, 

 they would have had many more chances of spreading 

 themselves abroad than plants of a more modern type. 



But thenone finds exactly the same difficulty in another 

 interesting series which are by no means so ancient. 



In the cloudy solitudes of Mount Ruwenzori, in the 

 very centre of tropical Africa, and above the bamboo 

 zone and tree vegetation, the author found certain very 

 remarkable Lobelias. Their flowers were enormous, 

 and they were shrubs with large leaves and altogether 

 of a most impressive character. 



282 



