Vol. I] STEWART— BOTANY OF THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS 241 



From the above table it is seen that in the majority of 

 instances the islands of the northern group have a larger per- 

 centage of their floras common with the islands of the southern 

 group than with each other, a condition hardly to.be expected 

 if oceanic currents were an important factor in transporting 

 seeds to them. Robinson (1), p. 258, has already mentioned 

 the small chance that many seeds would have of surviving even 

 if they were washed up on the shores of the islands, a fact that 

 can not be too strongly emphasized. While it is entirely possi- 

 ble that the seeds of xerophytic plants might be able to grow if 

 they were cast up in this way, it is hardly likely that mesophytic 

 plants would be able to survive, because there are but two 

 places on the islands — at the present time — where conditions at 

 sea level are such as to offer them a suitable habitat. One of 

 these places is Iguana Cove, Albemarle Island, and the other is 

 Villamil on the same island, at neither of which places are 

 there plants which do not have a wide distribution over the 

 islands. While it is possible that the Humboldt current may be 

 responsible for much of the xerophytic flora, it is hardly likely 

 that the Panama stream could have played much of a role in 

 this respect, as it flows from a region in which the flora is any- 

 thing but xerophytic in character. 



Birds 



I am indebted to Mr. Edward W. Gifford, joint ornithologist 

 to the expedition, for the following list of birds occurring as 

 migrants and stragglers on the Galapagos Islands. 



Arenaria interpres Turnstone Common 



Heteractitis incanus Wandering Tattler Common 



Phalaropus hyperboreus Northern Phalarope Great numbers of phal- 



aropes, probably this 

 species, were seen pass- 

 ing through the archi- 

 pelago. 

 Mgialeus semipalmatus Semipalmated Plover Fairly common 

 Numenius hudsonicus Hudsonian Curlew Fairly common 

 Calidris arenaria Sanderling Fairly common 



Limonites minutilla Least Sandpiper Fairly common 



Querquedula discors Blue-winged Teal Fairly common 



