Chap. XII. ON OCEANIC ISLANDS. 359 



Azores, and Mauritius, and liavo multiplied so as to become a 

 nuisance. But, as these animals ami their spawn are known to 

 be immediately killed hy sea-wat<^r, there wovdd be great dilfi- 

 culty in their transportal across the sea, and therefore we can 

 sec why they do not exist on any oceanic island. But why, on 

 tlie theory of creation, they should not have been created there, 

 it would be very dillicult to explain. 



Mammals ofler another and similar case. I have carefully 

 searched the oldest voyao-es, and as yet I have not found a 

 single instance, free frt)m doubt, of a terrestrial mammal (ex- 

 cluding domesticated animals kept by the natives) inhabiting' 

 an island situated above 300 miles from a continent or great 

 continental island ; and many islands situated at a much less 

 distance are equally l)arren. The Falkland Islands, which are 

 inhabited by a wolf-like fox, come nearest to an exception ; but 

 tlws group cannot be considered as oceanic, as it lies on a bank 

 in connection with the main-land at the distance of about 280 

 miles ; moreover, icebergs formerly brought bowlders to its 

 western shores, and they may have formerly transported foxes, 

 as now frequently happens in the arctic regions. Yet it cannot 

 be said that small islands will not support at least small mam- 

 mals, for they occur in many parts of the world on very small 

 islands, when lying close to a continent; and hardly an island 

 can be named on which oin- smaller quadrupeds have not be- 

 come naturalized and greatly nuiltiplicd. It capnot be said, 

 on the ordinary view of creation, tliat there has not been time 

 for the creation of mammals; many volcanic islands are sufTi- 

 ciently ancient, as shown l)y the stupendous degradation which 

 they have suffered, and by their tertiary strata : there has also 

 bcHMi time for the production of endemic species belonging to 

 other classes ; and on continents it is known that mammals ap- 

 pear and disappear at a quicker rate than any other and lower 

 animals. Although terrestrial mammals do not occur on oce- 

 anic islands, aerial mammals do occur on almost every island. 

 New Zealand possesses two bats found nowhere else in the 

 ■world : Norfolk Island, the Viti Archipelago, the Bonin Islands, 

 the Caroline and Mariannt" Archipelagoes, and Mauritius, 

 all possess their jieculiar bats. N\ hy, it may be asked, has 

 the supposed creative force ])roduced bats and no other mam- 

 mals on remote islands ? On my view this (juestion can easily 

 be answered; for no terrestrial mammal can be transported 

 across a wide space of sea, but bats can fly across. Bats have 

 been seen wandering by d:iy far over the Atlantic Ocean; and 



