of Danals Arc]dj>pus. 99 



He, however, met with no one who knew the insect or 

 had seen it before.* 



The fauna and flora of the Azores have a great pre- 

 ponderance of the European element, but still have a few 

 American emigrants, amongst which beetles are Avell 

 represented. Two Elaters, "(Eolus melllculus'^ and '' Mo~ 

 nocrepidius posticus,'^ both colonists from the South 

 American coast, and Tceniotes scalaris, a longicorn.f 

 These insects probably pass their larval stage in timber, 

 and so the Gulf Stream, which continuously breaks on 

 the shores of the Azores, is probably the cause of their 

 introduction. Many and various are the flotsam and 

 jetsam which have been conveyed by these means to those 

 shores, some of which are said to have quickened the mind 

 of Columbus as to the existence of unknown Avestcrn 

 regions. Westerly winds are here also the prevalent ones, 

 winds and currents as usual going together. 



Winds and currents are also to be relied on in the 

 dispersal of D. Arcliipjnis to the South Sea Isles and 

 Australia. The equatorial current flows nearly across 

 the Avhole breadth of the Pacific, until, as Mr. Laughton 

 observes, " it feels the pressure of the islands which form 

 a barrier off the coast of Asia, and extend far to the south. 

 On their eastern limit south of the equator these islands, 

 New Ireland, the Salomon Islands, the New Hebrides, 

 NeAv Caledonia, the Fiji Islands, backed up by Ncav 

 Guinea and by the northern part of Australia, form a 

 neai-ly continuous line reaching to the southern tropic, in 

 a south-easterly direction, and cause almost the whole of 

 the equatorial current to turn to the north." \ At the same 

 time, on each side of the equator, the north-east and south- 

 east trade winds blow toward this current, and waifs and 

 strays from the land must be continually tending towards 

 its stream. The nature of the drift has been well de- 

 scribed by Mr. Bennett. In lat. 2° 53' S., long. 174" 55' 

 E., a remarkable Avhite line was observed on the surface 

 of the ocean, about two miles a head of the ship, and 

 bearing the appearance of a low surf, breaking on a sand 

 bank or reef. It proved to be an undulated line of froth, 

 or scum, several yards in width, extending on either side 

 as far as was visible with the naked eye, and accompanied 



• Nat. Hist, of the Azores, p. 102. 



t Crotch. Ih. 



X I'hy. Gcng. in Ilchition t(^ i rcvailiujj Winds and Ciirrcnt.s, p. 228. 



