.1855-] INSECTA MADERENSIA. 45 



very curious point in the astounding proportion of Coleoptera 

 that are apterous ; and I think I have guessed the reason, 

 viz. that powers of flight would be injurious to insects inhab- 

 iting a confined locality, and expose them to be blown to the 

 sea : to test this, I find that the insects inhabiting the Dezerte 

 Grande, a quite small islet, would be still more exposed to 

 this danger, and here the proportion of apterous insects is 

 even considerably greater than on Madeira proper. Wollaston 

 speaks of Madeira and the other Archipelagoes as being 

 " sure and certain witnesses of Forbes' old continent," and of 

 course the Entomological world implicitly follows this view. 

 But to my eyes it would be difficult to imagine facts more 

 opposed to such a view. It is really disgusting and humil- 

 iating to see directly opposite conclusions drawn from the 

 same facts. 



I have had some correspondence with Wollaston on this 

 and other subjects, and I find that he coolly assumes, (i) that 

 formerly insects possessed greater migratory powers than 

 now, (2) that the old land was specially rich in centres of 

 creation, (3) that the uniting land was destroyed before the 

 special creations had time to diffuse, and (4) that the land 

 was broken down before certain families and genera had 

 time to reach from Europe or Africa the points of land in 

 question. Are not these a jolly lot of assumptions ? and yet 

 I shall see for the next dozen or score of years Wollaston 



Madeira, the Cape de Verdes, of a minutely critical habit." His 



and St. Helena, whence he deduced first scientific paper was written 



evidence in support of the belief when he was an undergraduate at 



in the submerged continent of Jesus College, Cambridge. While 



'Atlantis.' In an obituary notice at the University, he was an Asso- 



by Mr. Rye ('Nature,' 1878) he ciate and afterwards a Member of 



is described as working persis- the Ray Club : this is a small 



tently " upon a broad conception of society which still meets once a 



the science to which he was de- week, and where the undergraduate 



voted," while being at the same members, or Associates, receive 



time "accurate, elaborate, and much kindly encouragement from 



precise ad punctum, and naturally their elders. 



