210 ORIGIN OF LIFE IN AMERICA 



into the Pacific Ocean, and that wherever in Bolivia, Peru and 

 Chile we find groups of Bulimuli, the land on which they live 

 represents some portion or fragment of that ancient land 

 which once occupied part of the eastern Pacific Ocean. If we 

 had no other data in support of such theories, they would be 

 based on very slender evidence. But all this will be more 

 amply discussed when we come to deal with the general fauna 

 of the Galapagos Islands and western South America. 



The only other point bearing on the westward extension of 

 the ancient "Antillea," as the supposed West Indian continent 

 has been called, is the singular occurrence here and there 

 of traces indicating land westward of California. Along the 

 coast of southern California lies a little cluster of eight islands 

 which have lately attracted the attention of naturalists. 

 Now, as Mr. Greene informs us, on Santa Catalina Island 

 may be found Crossosoma, a plant so peculiar as almost to 

 represent a distinct natural order, and! more closely related 

 to the Asiatic and Australian Dilleniaceae than to any plant 

 on the American Continent, except a single congener recently 

 discovered in south-eastern California. Speaking of Santa 

 Cruz, another of this group of small islands, he comments on 

 its unique feature in possessing no less than forty-eight 

 species of plants not found on the opposite mainland and 

 expresses the opinion that the whole set of islands must have 

 a very peculiar geological origin and history. Species belong- 

 ing to distinctly Californian genera, like Dendromecon, Bsch- 

 scholtzia, Thysanocarpus and Zauschneria, abound in such 

 numbers as to suggest the question whether it was no"t from 

 these islands that the mainland plants of the same genera 

 were derived. The remarkable fact that Lyonothamnus, 

 Hazardia and the Lavat'eras, all of which have Asiatic or 

 Australian affinities, occur on these islands in several distinct 

 species, being quite unknown on the American continent, 

 makes Mr. Greene* wonder whether this group of islands 

 has not formerly been connected by land with some other 

 continent than America. 



Surprising and apparently inexplicable as this feature may 

 seiem, California and south-western North America generally 



* Greene, E. L., " Botany of Santa Cruz Island," pp. 377—388. 



