ON THE BIOLOGY OF OCEANIC ISLANDS. 487 
The Necessity for the Immediate Investigation of the Biology of Oceanic 
Tslands.— Report of the Committee, consisting of Sir W. H. 
FLower (Chairman), Professor A. C. Happon (Secretary), Mr. 
G. C. Bourne, Dr. H. O. Forses, Professor W. A. HErpMAN, Dr. 
Joun Murray, Professor A. Newron, Mr. A. E. Suietey, and 
Professor W. F. R. WELDON. (Drawn up by the Secretary.) 
THosE students of Botany, Zoology, and Anthropology who have at all 
considered the matter, are impressed with the fact that the present time 
is a very critical period for the native flora and fauna of many parts of 
the world. Owing to the spread of commerce, the effects of colonisation, 
and the intentional or accidental importation of plants and animals, a very 
rapid change is affecting the character of the indigenous life of numerous 
districts. This is notably the case in oceanic islands, the area of which is 
often extremely limited, and whose native forms have been found to be 
specially liable to be swamped by the immigrants ; but itis just those spots 
which are of especial interest to the naturalist, on account of their isola- 
tion from the great land areas. Thus the flora and fauna of many of the 
most interesting districts for the field-naturalist are in our day becoming 
largely exterminated before they have been adequately recorded. The 
Committee, while fully recognising that it is unwise to compare the rela- 
tive values of different branches of science, are strongly of opinion that 
the naturalists of a future date will have a just cause of complaint against 
us if we have not done our best to save to science a record of these 
vanishing forms. Certain branches of enquiry may safely be left to the 
next generation, but the investigation of disappearing animals and plants 
can, in many cases, be undertaken by us alone—and even now much has 
disappeared and more is fast passing away. It is, perhaps, scarcely neces- 
sary to point out that this investigation is not a matter of interest to 
the systematist only, but it is of great importance in connection with the 
problems of geographical distribution, variation, adaptation to the environ- 
ment, and the like. 
We need only refer to the Reports of the Committee on the Zoology 
of the Sandwich Islands, and those of the Committee of the Zoology and 
Botany of the West India Islands, to show that some work is being done 
in this direction by the British Association and other scientific societies, 
but we would urge that much more should be done by the Governments, 
scientific societies and private individuals of this and other countries. 
Mr. Perkins’ investigations in the Hawaiian group prove that quite a 
noticeable decrease in the indigenous fauna is taking place each season. 
The district around Honolulu was perhaps originally the richest in 
endemic forms, but now introduced forms are in vast preponderance ; the 
distinctive fauna of the plains, if there was one, has quite disappeared. 
Captain Cook found certain birds, for example, near the shore ; of these, 
some are extinct, and others are to be found only in the mountains. The 
area of the whole group is somewhat larger than Yorkshire. If the 
diminution of the fauna is so marked in such a comparatively large group 
as the Hawaiian Islands, how much greater must it be in the small 
islands. 
