Chap. XII. ISLANDS TO THOSE OF THE MAIN-LANJ). 303 



twccn the Galap.'ifjos aiul Capo dc Verde Arcliipclaii-oes : but 

 Avhat an entire and absolute difTorence in their inlialjitants ! 

 The inliabitants of the Cape de Verde Islands are related to 

 those of Africa, like those of the Galapagos to America. 

 Facts such as these admit of no sort of explanation on the 

 ordinary view of independent creation ; whereas, on the view, 

 here maintained, it is obvious that the Galapagos Islands 

 would be likely to receive colonists, whether by occasional 

 means of transport or by formerly continuous land, fi'om Amer- 

 ica ; the Cape de Verde Islands from Africa : and that such 

 colonists would be liable to modification — the principle of in- 

 heritance still betraving their original birthplace. 



Many analogous facts could be given : indeed, it is an al- 

 most universal rule that the endemic productions of islands 

 are related to those of the nearest continent, or of the nearest' 

 island. The exceptions are few, and most of them can be 

 explained. Thus, although Kerguelen Land stands nearer to 

 Africa than to America, the plants are related, and that very 

 closely, as we know from Dr. Hooker's accoimt, to those of 

 America : but, on the view that this island has been mainly 

 stocked by seeds brought with earth and stones on icel)ergs, 

 drifted by the prevailing currents, this anomaly disappears. 

 New Zealand in its endemic plants is much more closely re- 

 lated to Australia, tlie nearest main-land, than to any other 

 region: and this is what might have been ex])ccted ; but it is 

 also plainly related to South America, which, although the 

 next nearest continent, is so enormously remote, that the fact 

 becomes an ancjinaly. But this difFiculty almost disajipears on 

 the view that New Zealand, South America, and tlie other 

 southern lands, have been partially stocked from a nearly in- 

 termediate though distant point, namely, from the antaictic 

 islands, when they were clothed with vegetation, during a 

 warmer tertiary period, before the commencement of the last 

 Glacial period. The allinity, which, though feeble, I am 

 assured by Dr. Hooker is real, between the flora of the S(juth- 

 western corner of Australia and of the Ca]ie of Good Ilojie, is 

 a far more remarkable case ; but this ailinity is ccmlined to the 

 ])lan(s, and will, no doubt, be some day explained. 



The same law which has determined the relati(mshi|) be- 

 tween the inhabitants of islands and the nearest main-land i.s 

 sometimes displayed on a small scale, but in a most interesting 

 manner, within tlie limits of the same archipelago. Thus each 

 separate island of the Galapagos Archipelago is ti-nanted, and 



