102 REPTILES AND BATRACHIANS 



tance directly south of Cuba, midway in the length, and 

 nearly or quite as far northwest of Jamaica. Little Cay- 

 man is seven miles west of Cayman Brae. Grand Cayman 

 lies some seventy miles, more or less, west a little south 

 from Little Cayman, or about two hundred miles south of 

 Cuba, and as much west northwest from Jamaica. In all 

 probability the islands Cayman Brae, Little Cayman and 

 Grand Cayman are not of earlier date than the late calca- 

 reous formations of Cuba. That there has at any time 

 been a land connection with that island is quite problem- 

 atical. The affinities of the reptiles might have been no 

 closer if such had been the case, but it is entirely needless 

 to suppose anything of the kind in order to account for 

 the relationships observed. The currents south of Cuba 

 are such that objects thrown over at points on its shores 

 may be afterward picked up on the Caymans. Drift in 

 these currents might readily transport the progenitors of 

 the species now occupying these localities. On the other 

 hand their traffic being almost wholly with Jamaica, it 

 would be surprising if some of its forms had not obtained 

 a foothold. The affinities of the species from Little Cay- 

 man and Cayman Brae are in line with those from Grand 

 Cayman, except, perhaps, in case of the Anolis of the lat- 

 ter, A. conspersus, Garm., which, though quite distinct, is 

 near the Jamaican A. grahamii, Gray. All of the spe- 

 cies reported from Little Cayman are of Cuban origin : 

 Anolis maynardii, Anolis luteosignifer, Oydura nubila 

 and Hyla septenlrionalis. Of those from Cayman Brae, 

 Anolis luteosignifer, Liocephalus carinatus, Cyclura nubila 

 and Alsophis fuscicauda are of Cuban, while the Sphcero- 

 dactylus, the Aristelliger and the Diploglossus are in all 

 likelihood of Jamaican derivation. 



The two crocodiles reported by Prof. Maynard are no 

 doubt the Cuban species. The small land or fresh-water 



