256 Proceedings of the British Association. 



centres, and the subsequent isolation of the former through geologi- 

 cal changes and events, especially those dependent on the elevation 

 and depression of land. Selecting the Flora of the British Isles 

 as a means of testing his theory, he divided its vegetation into five 

 Floras: first, a west Pyrenean, confined to the west of Ireland, 

 and mostly to the mountains of that district ; second, a Flora related 

 to that of the south-west of France, extending from the Channel 

 Isles across Devon and Cornwall to the south-east, and part of 

 the south-west of Ireland; third, a Flora common to the north 

 of France and south-east of England, and especially developed in the 

 chalk districts ; fourth, an Alpine Flora developed in the mountains 

 of Wales, north of England and Scotland ; and fifth, a Germanic 

 Flora, extending over the greater part of Great Britain and Ireland, 

 mingling with the other Floras, and diminishing, though slightly, as 

 we proceed westwards, indicating its easterly origin and relation 

 to the characteristic Flora of northern and western Germany. The 

 author then went into details pointing out the circumstances which 

 gave a probable age to each of these British Floras, and the geologi- 

 cal changes which had occurred to isolate them from Floras of other 

 parts of Europe, with which they were formerly in connection, and 

 with which they had a common parentage. He maintained, in con- 

 clusion, that the peculiar distribution of endemic animals, especially 

 of the terrestrial mollusca, bore him out in these views. He propos- 

 ed to pursue the subject in detail, with reference to both animal 

 and vegetable life, in connection with the researches of the Geological 

 Survey. 



This paper produced a long and interesting discussion. Mr. J. Ball 

 argued against the hypothesis of there being only a single species 

 created. If there were but one individual we were not in a position 

 to say what were its characters from our present forms. He saw no 

 objection to the view that the same species might be created at two 

 distinct periods of time, as well as of space. — Prof. Phillips would 

 not enter into the question of the hypothesis, but as a geologist he 

 could say, that the changes required to produce the isolation of the 

 Floras spoken of by Mr. Forbes, were not greater than must have 

 taken place to produce other well known geological phenomena. He 

 believed the views of Prof. Forbes of great importance ; and, in re- 



