R. A. Daly — Problems of the Pacific Islands. 155 



teenth century, is now so much waste paper. Many chemists 

 had failed to realize that chemical reaction is in large part a 

 matter of pure physics. The essential truths of chemistry are 

 now rapidly emerging as physical chemistry continues its epoch- 

 making discoveries in the twentieth century. Another wall of 

 partition has recently broken down as geologists in their turn 

 have come to recognize that a quantitative understanding of 

 energy is an absolute necessity for geology. Thus the border- 

 land science, geophysics, is getting nearer the truth and send- 

 ing to the scrap-heap whole libraries of works on the history 

 of earth processes. But nowhere is the compartment system 

 of studying nature more clearly at fault than in its application 

 to questions of distribution. No zoologist can safely, truly 

 describe the mechanism of animal distribution in a region 

 without an understanding of animal distribution in surround- 

 ing areas, without an understanding of plant distribution, and 

 without an understanding of geological conditions. Neither 

 zoologist or botanist, dealing with the distribution of species, 

 can afford to neglect the data of anthropogeography, meteor- 

 ology, and oceanography. The welter of conflicting opinions 

 as to the mapping of organic provinces, as to the possibilities 

 of migration, as to the former existence of land bridges in 

 areas now oceanic, is due in no small measure to the individual- 

 ism of observers. 



Of course, analysis must precede synthesis and specialization 

 is increasingly more necessaiw for the field worker. Hence 

 the only economical way of reaching the truth of nature is to 

 co-operate, first, last, and all the time. A body of specialists, 

 together questioning all of the Pacific oceanic islands, are sure 

 to reach final results quicker than is possible to a much greater 

 number of equally capable men who independently " mono- 

 graph" island or island group. Regarding the origin and dis- 

 tribution of organisms or rocks, the testimony of a single 

 island or group is bound to be doubtful. The very refine- 

 ment of analysis in a restricted area may give misleading 

 results and represent energy worse than wasted. A problem 

 vital to the biology or geology of a single island or group may 

 be supremely difficult, or impossible, of solution, if attacked 

 merely in the light of local facts ; yet the solution may soon 

 be clear as day when information comes from neighboring 

 islands or archipelagoes. Negatively, in the prevention of 

 waste -in energy, as well as positively, in the conscious adop- 

 tion of the only feasible method of reaching final truths, the 

 plan of comprehensive, synthetic exploration of the Pacific 

 islands has claims for serious consideration. 



The project implies that the specialist observers should be 

 in the field a long time. For many problems, already insistent, 



