ST. HELENA AND ITS FAUNA 387 



always was so. Geological evidence, says Professor Suess,* 

 does not prove, nor even point to, a permanence of the great 

 depths, at least in the oceans of the Atlantic type. No longer 

 can we, therefore, subscribe to Dr. Wallace's statement that 

 St. Helena is necessarily what he calls a "true oceanic 

 island." The island was densely covered with a luxuriant 

 forest vegetation when it was discovered in the year 1501. 

 Human occupation has almost wholly destroyed this in- 

 digenous vegetation, and with it no doubt the greater part of 

 the fauna. The rich soil, no longer protected by the covering 

 vegetation, has been swept away by tropical rains, leaving a 

 vast expanse of bare rock or sterile clay. Fortunately the 

 fauna and flora of St. Helena have received greater attention 

 than those of Ascension, and although a mere fragment only of 

 what originally inhabited this area, it allows us to draw some 

 conclusions as to their origin. There are neither mammals, 

 amphibians nor reptiles on the island. The only indigenous 

 bird is a small plover (Aegialitis sanctae-helenae), closely allied 

 to a species found in South Africa. Among the invertebrates 

 the beetles in particular have been carefully studied by Mr. 

 T. V. Wollaston.f Out of two hundred and three species 

 collected on the island, he considers one hundred and twenty- 

 nine to he indigenous. Only one of these is found else- 

 where. These species belong to thirty-nine genera, of 

 which no less than twenty-five are peculiar to St. Helena, 

 most of them being weevils (Ehynchophora). Since the 

 greater numher of weevils are woodborers, we conclude 

 from this fact alone that the island once possessed a luxuriant 

 forest vegetation. Many of the beetles show no close affinity 

 with any existing insects. A small number only are more 

 or less remotely related to European and South African 

 species. These features imply, as Dr. Wallace truly remarks, 

 that the beetle fauna of the island is extremely ancient, dating 

 back to at least the Miocene age. Dr. Wallace acknowledges 

 that at present the marine currents flow towards St. Helena 

 from the region of the Cape of Good Hope ; nevertheless he 

 contends that in former geological periods the currents may 



* Suess, E., " Are Ocean Depths Permanent? " p. 186. 

 t Wollaston, T. V., " Coleoptera Sanctae Helenae." 



c c 2 



