The Antarctic 
in keeping itself alive in the dry exposed plateaus and 
rocky hills where it grows. 
Another extraordinary fact about Azorella and similar 
high Andine plants is also recorded by Dr. Reiche. 
On toth March 1899, at 1 P.M., the air temperature 
was 16° C. When the bulb of the thermometer was 
sunk in the sandy soil it recorded 38° C. But in a 
very thick clump of Azorella, the temperature was only 
21°C, At six in the morning of the next day both 
the temperatures of the air and sand were 3° C., whilst 
that of the Azorella was 5° C. So that in the cold 
morning it was three degrees warmer, and in hot 
sunshine seventeen degrees cooler than the sand wherein 
it grew. One can hardly suppose that a plant with such 
complex adaptations to life in the Andes, and forming 
characteristic associations, just happened to get to South 
America and establish itself there by a lucky chance. 
There are three ways in which one might possibly 
explain the relationship of the New Zealand and Chilian 
floras. According to one theory, both these places as well 
as South Africa are Continent exds. Some very ancient 
set of plants once extended all over the world, it has 
been invaded and dispossessed of its ground by other 
and new plant-cohorts everywhere except in the ends 
of South America, South Africa, and New Zealand. 
These would be refuges where the older types have 
succeeded in keeping themselves alive. 
One might compare the process to the survival of 
bushmen in the Kalahari desert in South Africa and of the 
recently exterminated aborigines of Tasmania. It has 
not been clearly shown that the Tasmanian aborigines 
were allied {o the bushmen, but supposing this were 
true it would mean that this low type of humanity once 
extended all round the Indian Ocean from the Cape of 
Good Hope by India and Malaya to Australia and Van 
Diemen’s Land. 
ror 
