228 Darwin, and after Darwin. 
So it is with the other animals, and with a large proportion of 
the plants, as shown by Dr. Hooker in his admirable Flora of 
this archipelago. The naturalist, looking at the inhabitants 
of these volcanic islands in the Pacific, distant several hundred 
miles from the continent, feels that he is standing on American 
land Why should this be so? Why should the species which 
are supposed to have been created in the Galapagos Archi- 
pelago, and nowhere else, bear so plainly the stamp of affinity 
to those created in America? There is nothing in the con- 
ditions of life, in the geological nature of the islands, in their 
height or climate, or in the proportions in which the several 
classes are associated together, which closely resembles the 
conditions of the South American coast; in fact, there is a 
considerable dissimilarity in all these respects. On the other 
hand, there is a considerable degree of resemblance in the 
volcanic nature of the soil, in the climate, height, and size of 
the islands, between the Galapagos and Cape de Verde Archi- 
pelagoes; but what an entire and absolute difference in their 
inhabitants! The inhabitants of the Cape de Verde Islands 
are related to those of Africa, like those of the Galapagos to 
America. Facts such as these admit of no sort of explanation 
on the ordinary view of independent creation; whereas on the 
view here maintained, it is obvious that the Galapagos Islands 
would be likely to receive colonists from America, and the Cape 
de Verde Islands from Africa ; such colonists would be liable to 
modification—the principle of inheritance still betraying their 
original birthplace '- , 
The following is a synopsis of the fauna and flora 
of this archipelago, so far as at present known. The 
only terrestrial vertebrates are two peculiar species 
of land-tortoise, and one extinct species ; five species 
of lizards, all peculiar—two of them so much so 
as to constitute a peculiar genus;—and two species 
of snakes, both closely allied to South American 
forms. Of birds there are 57 species, of which no 
1 Origin of Species, pp. 353-4. 
