48 Mr. J. D. Dana on the Oj-igin of the 



XI. When we find a like resemblance of genera and species 

 between temperate-zone provinces in opposite hemispheres that 

 are almost exact antipodes, as in the case of Great Britain and 

 New Zealand, we have no choice of hypotheses left. We must 

 appeal directly to creative agency for the peopling of the New 

 Zealand seas as well as the British, and see, in both, like wis- 

 dom, and a like adaptedness of life to physical nature. The 

 Palamon affinis of the New Zealand seas is hardly distinguish- 

 able from the common P. squilla of Europe, and is one example 

 of this resemblance. It may not be an identity; and on this 

 account it is a still better proof of our principle, becauset here is 

 no occasion to suspect migration or any other kind of transfer. 

 It is a creation of species in these distant provinces, which are 

 almost identical, owing to the physical resemblances of the seas ; 

 and it shows at least, that a very close approximation to identity 

 may be consistent with Divine Wisdom. 



The resemblance of the New Zealand and British seas has 

 been remarked upon as extending also to the occurrence in both 

 of the genera Portunus and Cancer. It is cci'tainly a wonderful 

 fact that New Zealand should have a closer resemblance in its 

 Crustacea to Great Britain, its antipode, than to any other part 

 of the world — a resemblance running parallel, as we cannot fail 

 to observe, with its geographical form, its insular position, and 

 its situation among the temperate regions of the ocean. Under 

 such circumstances, there must be many other more intimate 

 resemblances, among which we may yet distinguish the special 

 cause which led to the planting of peculiar British genera in this 

 antipodal land. 



The close resemblance in species and genera from Britain and 

 New Zealand, and from Japan and the Mediterranean, and the 

 actual identity in some species among the latter, prove there- 

 fore that, as regards the species of two distant regions, identity as 

 well as resemblance may be attributable to independent creations, 

 these resemblances being in direct accordance with the physical 

 resemblances of the regions. As this conclusion cannot be avoided, 

 we are compelled in all cases to try the hypothesis of migra- 

 tion by considering something beside the mere possibility of its 

 having taken place under certain assumed conditions. The pos- 

 sibility of independent creations is as important a consideration. 

 After all the means of communication between distant provinces 

 have been devised or suggested, the principle still arises, that 

 it is in accordance with Divine Wisdom to create similar and 

 identical species in different regions where the physical circum- 

 stances are alike ; and we must determine by special and thorough 

 investigation, whether one or the other cause was the actual 

 origin of the distribution in each particular case. Thus it must 



