898 GALAPAGOS ARCHIPELAGO. fomap. XVIL 
their climates, it must be between the windward group (namely 
Charles and Chatham Islands), and that to leeward; but there 
seems to be no corresponding difference in the productions of 
these twe halves of the archipelago. 
The only light which I can throw on this remarkable differ- 
ence in the inhabitants of the different islands, is, that very strong 
currents of the sea running in a westerly and W.N.W. direction 
must separate, as far as transportal by the sea is concerned, the 
southern islands from the northern ones; and between these 
northern islands a strong N.W. current was observed, which 
must effectually separate James and Albemarle Islands. As the 
archipelago is free to a most remarkable degree from gales of wind, 
neither the birds, insects, nor lighter seeds, would be blown from 
island to island. And lastly, the profound depth of. the ocean 
between the islands, and their apparently recent (in a geological 
sense) volcanic origin, render it highly unlikely that they were 
ever united; and this, probably, is a far more important consi- 
deration than any other, with respect to the geographical distri- 
bution of their inhabitants. Reviewing the facts here given, one 
is astonished at the amount of creative force, if such an expres- 
sion may be used, displayed on these small, barren, and rocky 
islands; and still more so, at its diverse yet analogous action on 
points so near each other. I have said that the Galapagos Archi- 
pelago might be called a satellite attached to America, but it 
should rather be called a group of satellites, physically similar, 
organically distinct, yet intimately related to each other, and all 
related ina marked, though much Tpaben degree, to the great 
American continent. 
~ 
I will conclude my description of the natural history of these 
islands, by giving an account of the extreme tameness of the 
birds. . 
This disposition is common to all the terrestrial species; 
namely, to the mocking-thrushes, the finches, wrens, tyrant-fly- 
catchers, the dove, and carrion-buzzard. All of them often 
approached sufficiently near to be killed with a switch, and 
sometimes, as I myself tried, with a cap or hat. A gun is here 
almost superfluous; for with the muzzle I pushed a hawk off the 
branch of a tree. One day, whilst lying down, a mocking- 
