1835.] DISTRIBUTION OF THE ORGANIC BEINGS. 397 
islands. He remarks that this law of distribution holds good 
both with those genera confined to the archipelago, and those dis- 
tributed in other quarters of the world: in like manner we have 
seen that the different islands have their proper species of the 
mundane genus of tortoise, and of the widely distributed Ame- 
rican genus of the mocking-thrush, as well as of two of the Ga- 
lapageian sub-groups of finches, and almost certainly of the 
Galapageian genus Amblyrhynchus. 
The distribution of the tenants of this archipelago would not 
he nearly so wonderful, if, for instance, one island had a mock- 
ing-thrush, and a second island some other quite distinct genus ; 
—if one island had its genus of lizard, and a second island 
another distinct genus, or none whatever ;—or if the different 
islands were inhabited, not by representative species of the same 
genera of plants, but by totally different genera, as does to a cer- 
tain extent hold good; for, to give one instance, a large berry- 
bearing tree at James Island has no representative species in 
Charles Island. But it is the cireumstance, that several of the 
islands possess their own species of the tortoise, mocking-thrush, 
finches, and numerous plants, these species having the same 
general habits, occupying analogous situations, and obviously 
filling the same place in the natural economy of this archipelago, 
that strikes me with wonder. It may be suspected that some of 
these representative species, at least in the case of the tor- 
toise and of some of the birds, may hereafter prove to be only 
well-marked races; but this would be of equally great interest 
to the philosophical naturalist. I have said that most of the 
islands are in sight of each other: I may specify that Charles 
Island is fifty miles from the nearest part of Chatham Island, and 
thirty-three miles from the nearest part of Albemarle Island. 
Chatham Island is sixty miles from the nearest part of James 
Island, but there are two intermediate islands between them 
which were not visited by me. James Island is only ten miles 
from the nearest part of Albemarle Island, but the two points 
where the collections were made are thirty-two miles apart. J 
riust repeat, that neither the nature of the soil, nor height of the 
land, nor the climate, nor the general character of the associated 
beings, and therefore their action one on another, can differ much 
in the different islands. If there be any sensible difference in 
