CORRESPONDING SOCIETIES 449 



interest of the original fauna and flora, described by Wallace as ' a kind of 

 natural museum or vivarium in which ancient types, perhaps dating back 

 to the Miocene period or even earlier, had been saved from the destruction 

 which has overtaken their allies on the great continents ' ; he continues, 

 ' it is only by the extreme ruggedness and inaccessibility of its peaks and 

 crater-ridges that the scanty fragments have escaped by which alone we 

 are able to obtain a glimpse of this interesting chapter in the life-history 

 of our earth.' One of the most interesting features were seven endemic 

 species of Tree Composites, forms characteristic of isolated islands and 

 tropical mountain heights. Of these Bentham says ' although nearer to 

 Africa than to any other continent these composite denizens which bear 

 evidence of the greatest antiquity have their affinities for the most part 

 in South America.' Other affinities of the original flora are with Mada- 

 gascar and East Africa. 



The destruction of native by introduced species is progressive, and it 

 would be interesting to know how many of the species listed in 1875 by 

 Melliss are still extant. When I visited the island in 1929 the obvious 

 flora was a remarkable pot pourri of South African, Australian and 

 European species, and though we went up to the high interior of the island 

 we saw few of the Tree Composites — a pathetic sight was a fine specimen 

 being effectively strangled by English gorse. 



In 1933 I spent some time in the Bermudas, a very isolated group of 

 oceanic islands. These have not the botanical interest of St. Helena. 

 There is little variety of surface and a geologically recent depression has 

 submerged the greater part of the original land. The islands are nearer 

 the American coast, and in the track of the Gulf Stream which ensures 

 their remarkably mild climate. They have been stocked from the south- 

 east American coast and the West Indies but have developed a few 

 endemic species, including a Juniper which still covers the low unculti- 

 vated hillsides, a Palmetto, a few shrubs and herbs and some ferns. Since 

 the settlement of the islands in 1 609 man has effected great changes in the 

 vegetation. Felling of trees, clearing land for cultivation and recently 

 for golf courses, and draining of the marshes has largely destroyed the 

 original vegetation. A valuable timber tree, Zanthoxylum flavum 

 (Yellow Wood), once plentiful is represented now by a single specimen 

 preserved in the gardens of one of the many luxury hotels ; a beautiful 

 endemic evergreen tree, Elceodendron Laneanum (Olive-wood Bark), is 

 threatened with extermination. An important factor in the destruction 

 of the native vegetation has been the introduction of alien plants which 

 have largely replaced the natives. In his Flora of Bermuda (1918), 

 Dr. N. L. Britton lists 146 native species of flowering plants and about 

 300 introduced and completely or partially naturalised species. This 

 replacement is still going on. Native species cited by Britton as frequent 

 were in 1933 found only occasionally and some of the rarities seem com- 

 pletely to have disappeared. The islands have a quiet and restful beauty, 

 but the attractiveness of their present flora is mainly due to introduced, 

 not native, plants. Indiscriminate felling of the Junipers is now for- 

 bidden, but there seems no active local interest in the preservation in 

 what remains of the native flora. 



Is it fair to those who will come after us to leave them the opportunity 



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