The composition of the fauna was also different. As in Chatham, the 

 members of the expedition made large collections on Charles Island, 

 and, as on that island, the birds were very tame, especially the small 

 birds. 



" Very often," said the Professor in his report, " the small birds 

 alighted on my hat or gun when I kept quiet." 



As an illustration of how tame the birds were, Prof. Baur related 

 the following : 



" I was watching a lizard, when a species of Buteo, alighted on a 

 little bush about three feet from me. I had with me a small switch, 

 and began to tickle him over the head, neck and body. This he 

 seemed to like very much, not showing any fear whatever. After this 

 I went to a small island a few yards away from the spot. I had 

 hardly arrived there when the bird came over, alighted near me and 

 allowed itself to be tickled again." 



The birds are restricted to the single islands, and on each of them 

 are but few species of a genus, and the land-birds at least never seem 

 to travel from one island to another. 



"Tortoises were extinct on Charles Island long ago. They are also 

 extinct on Chatham, Barrington, Hood, and Jeans, on which islands 

 they formerly existed. No tortoises were ever found on Tower and 

 Brindloe. 



"On South Albemarle, where we remained nearly three weeks, we 

 secured quite a number of specimens. Here the tortoise is still 



"The large and high islands of the group show the richest flora. In 

 the flora were found the same differentiation on the different islands as 

 in the fauna, so far as could be observed." 



The report concluded about as follows : 



"There cannot be any further doubt that the distribution of the 

 flora and fauna of the Galapagos Islands is absolutely harmonious. 

 It is this harmony in the distribution which has led me to the theory 

 that the islands are continental and not oceanic. How could we explain 

 by the theory of elevation, now generally accepted, harmonious distri- 

 bution ? It is simply an impossibility to give any explanation on this 

 theory. The theory of subsidence, however, makes every point clear 

 at once. All islands were connected together at a former period. At 

 this time the number of species must have been small. Through isola- 

 tion into single islands, the peculiar specialization of the species which 

 we found began — an originally single species was differentiated in many 



