8 Where did Life Begin? 



ble directions, and to all distances, not only 

 easy and probable, but consistent with their 

 present distribution ? Is there anything in sim- 

 ilarity of form, anatomy, structure, size, color, 

 food, habits, habitat, longevity, modes of 

 propagation, terms of gestation, and capacity 

 for inter-breeding between certain flora and 

 fauna of the Eastern continents and the West- 

 ern, which would suggest that many species 

 and varieties so widely separated might have 

 come originally from the same locality and 

 ancestry ? Are plants and animals always 

 improved, developed, and rendered prolific 

 more by being moved one way than another ? 

 Are the prevailing bottom currents of air and 

 ocean in the direction of such favorable move- 

 ments ? Are cases of extermination and de- 

 generation the result of a counter-movement, 

 or a failure to make such favorable move- 

 ments ? 



Many facts and considerations exist and 

 may be presented pointing to a solution of 

 these questions, and fairly answering some 

 of them. 



Let us consider, in the first place, the 



