176 FUNAFUTI ATOLL. 



The Pacific Ocean being bounded by the land masses of Asia, 

 Australia, South and North America, and the genus Mus being 

 exclusively confined to the Old World, it necessarily follows that 

 this rat has entered the islands of the Pacific from an Asiatic 

 source. This agrees with the origin of the flora of the region as 

 sketched by Guppy,* and also with the distribution of the 

 Lepidoptera independently remarked by Woodford.f It is thus 

 opposed to the theory of a migration westward from America 

 across a Mesozoic Pacific continent as advocated by Hutton.J 



POSTSCRIPT. 



As previously indicated, it only needs more extensive reading 

 to add materially to the known distribution of the Pacific rat, 

 and already several localities may be added to those enumerated. 

 A perusal of Brenchley, " Cruise of the Cura9oa," 2(X shows that it 

 has been observed at Niue or Savage Island, situated between 

 the Samoan and Cook Groups, and again at Aneitium, Tanna, and 

 Efate, in the New Hebrides. It is also said to be indigenous to 

 Upolu and Tutuila in the Samoan Islands, being at the latter 

 place described as " the mouse." At Tongatabu the rat is said 

 to be imported. 



It may be mentioned that the only group in the South Pacific 

 from which I have not quoted references is the Marquesas ; an 

 hiatus which would doubtless be filled did time permit to search 

 its literature. 



* Guppy Trans. Vic. Inst., 1896. (Keprinted on p. 20 of the " General 

 Account.") 



fWoodford Geogr. Journ., vi., 1895, pp. 349-350; also ante, p. 90. 

 J Button Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., xxi., 1896, pp. 36-47. 



