" The remoteness of these islands from any continent, together with their in- 

 accessibility, preclude the idea of their being tenanted, even in a single instance, 

 by plants that have migrated from other countries, and still more do they forbid 

 the possibility of man having been an active agent in the dissemination of them. 

 On the contrary, the remarkable fact that some of the most peculiar productions are 

 confined to the narrowest limits is a strong argument in favour of a general distri- 

 bution of vegetable life over separate spots on the globe. Hence it will appear 

 that islands so situated furnish the best materials for a rigid comparison of the effects 

 of geographical position and the various meteorological phaenomena on vegetation, 

 and for acquiring a knowledge of the great laws according to which plants are dis- 

 tributed over the face of the globe." 



— /. D. Hooker, " Flora Antarctica" vol. i. Introduction ; \st May, 1845. 



" II semble que les iles Auckland sont placees a la limite de toute vegetation 

 possible. Les oiseaux, quoique peu nombreux, etaient faciles a approcher ; habitues 

 a vivre tranquillement dans ces solitudes, I'instinct de leur conservation ne leur avait 

 point appris a se mefier de I'homme." 



— Dumont UUrville, " Voyage de r Astrolabe," vol. ix; 1846. 



