ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT. XXXV 



state of the land, sea, and air at the time. Far removed as they 

 may be, we can place them on their right step in the scale of time, 

 and apply to them the methods of interpretation which have hitherto 

 been found successful, because they proceed on the sure basis of the 

 observod laws of phenomena now prevailing in nature, and in this 

 respect follow the teaching of Hutton and the example of Lyoll. 



§ Provinces in Space. 



The conclusion adopted by Brown, Forbes, Godwin -Austen, and 

 most naturalists in regard to the plants and animals now in existence, 

 is that each species of this vast multitude came into being at a. 

 determinate place, and spread from thence by natural means over 

 the neighbouring tracts, sometimes arriving at very great distances 

 and appearing in unexpected situations*. Thus natural provinces 

 are constituted, each including a considerable number of fun us 

 peculiar to itself, with others communicated from beyond its bounda- 

 ries. These provinces are not necessarily the same for animals as 

 for plants, nor for all the families cither of plants or animals f. 

 The unequal facility of distribution of different races comes in 

 further to disguise the classification in provinces. Still, \\\\\\ 

 Botanists and Zoologists almost universally, the principle of referring 

 each species to a definite local centre, and of constituting provinces 

 for many species having proximate centres, has been firmly supported 

 i> a true representation of nature. . 



Cases of very limited distribution occur, as in the Galapa 

 visited by Mr. Darwin, where a unique group of life enjoys wdiat 

 seems to be a separate small province characterized by the herbivorous 

 Anility, -luinchus and several peculiar species of birds, which, how* 

 ever, on the whole manifest a great analogy to other species on the 

 American Continent, with which these isles may once have lucn 



connected. By admitting local displacements of land and sea, Forbes 

 found in many cases an easy explanation of the occurrence "1' some 

 species and the absence of others in the fauna and flora of island-, 

 mountains, and branches of the sea. 



Each of these species is conceived to be perpetuated in essential 

 structure and habits of life, though subject to some variations, at 

 birth and during life, by the influence of snrronnding circumstanoes, 

 Thus varieties arise, which are sometimes continued in raoes, Such 

 variations in the speciea appear, by experience, in gome cases to 



have natural limits, and are supposed CO he limited in all cases; 



though as to the amount of variation, and the width between the 

 limits, naturalists are m,t always agreed. Borne, with Unnasus .. 



* Sec, on questions of this kind treated in this manner, K. Forbes in Bfemoin 

 i>f tin- (.ii-dI. Survey, vol. i. ; and Forbes and Qodwin- Austen, Natural Bistorj of 

 the European 5 



t See Woodward's Treatise on Mollusoa i ICapofthe Distribution of this 



of minimis. 



I The opinion of this greal and thoughtful naturalist, us nren in 1 1 1 « - 'Anusni* 



: it , --> Academic.!-,' and in B Condensed \\ Tin in I In- 'SjatemS Natura-," include^ mere 



than one of the vi in proposed in later tunes. The philosophical parts of the 



v.i-itine* of thfl illustrious Swede ought to be non familiar to naturalists than 

 they upocar to be. 



