Chap. XIIL] MAMMALS ON OCEANIC ISLANDS. 183 



introduced into Madeira, the Azores, and Mauritius, 

 and have multiplied so as to become a nuisance. But 

 as these animals and their spawn are immediately 

 killed (with the exception, as far as known, of one 

 Indian species) by sea-water, there would be great 

 difficulty in their transportal across the sea, and there- 

 fore we can see why they do not exist on strictly 

 oceanic islands. But why, on the theory of creation, 

 they should not have been created there, it would be 

 very difficult to explain. 



Mammals offer another and similar case. I have 

 carefully searched the oldest voyages, and have not 

 found a single instance, free from doubt, of a terrestrial 

 mammal (excluding domesticated animals kept by the 

 natives) inhabiting an island situated above 300 miles 

 from a continent or great continental island ; and many 

 islands situated at a much less distance are equally 

 barren. The Falkland Islands, which are inhabited by 

 a wolf-like fox, come nearest to an exception ; but this 

 group cannot be considered as oceanic, as it lies on a 

 bank in connection with the mainland at the distance 

 of about 280 miles ; moreover, icebergs formerly brought 

 boulders to its western shores, and they may have 

 formerly transported foxes, as now frequently happens 

 in the arctic regions. Yet it cannot be said that small 

 islands will not support at least small mammals, for 

 they occur in many parts of the world on very small 

 islands, when lying close to a continent; and hardly 

 an island can be named on which our smaller quad- 

 rupeds have not become naturalised and greatly 

 multiplied. It cannot be said, on the ordinary view of 

 creation, that there has not been time for the creation 

 of mammals; many volcanic islands are sufficiently 



