Chap. XllL] MAMMALS ON OCEANIC ISLANDS. 183 



deira, the Azores, and Mauritius, and have multipUed 

 so as to become a nuisance. But as these animals and 

 their spawn are immediately killed (with the excep- 

 tion, as far as' known, of one Indian species) by sea- 

 water, there would be great difficulty in their trans- 

 portal across the sea, and therefore 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 ex- 

 plain. 



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 for- 

 merly 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 quadrupeds 

 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 ancient, as shown 



