672 The American Naturalist. [August, 
seeds of its constituents, combined with present conditions, Dr. 
Baur’s theory seems deserving of more serious consideration 
than it has hitherto received. My slender knowledge of geol- 
ogy alone prevents me from taking up a more decided position.” 
The last communication of Hemsley" appeared in the June 
number of Science Progress, 1896. He writes: “ When review- 
ing the newer literature relating to the flora of the Galapagos 
Islands I found little to add to what had been done by Darwin, 
Hooker and Anderson; merely mentioning the visit of the 
United States ship Albatross,and Dr. Baur’s theory of the origin 
of the fauna and flora. Since then an account of Dr. Baur’s 
botanical collections has been published, and the substance 
has also appeared in an English journal, and Dr. Baur himself 
has written and lectured in defense of his theory of the origin 
of this group of islands. As previously stated, he contends 
that the evidence points to the present condition being the re- 
sult of subsidence, that the islands were formerly connected 
with each other, and at a still earlier period with continental 
America, Although this theory has been derided, I think the 
biological data strongly favor its correctness ; and the soundings 
given in the map accompanying Agassiz’s report of the Alba- 
tross expedition show a relatively shallow area in which the 
Galapagos Islands are situated, and which extends eastward to 
the mainland of Veragua. Probably the segregation would 
be greatly anterior to the segregation of the West Indian 
Islands.” 
It is seen that the subsidence theory has won very extensive 
ground, in fact, there are only very few opponents left which 
in the future might be converted. Besides Agassiz, whom I 
have mentioned before, Stearns, Dall and Wolff. Dr. Stearns” 
had only seen my paper published in the AMERICAN NATURAL- 
1st (March, April, 1891), before my visit to the Galapagos. He 
believes in the elevation theory and the accidental importation 
of the fauna and flora by currents. 
" Hemsley, W. Botting. Insular Floras. Part VI. Science Progress, Vol. V, 
No. 28, June, 1896, p. 298-302. 
“Stearns, Robert E. C., Ph.D. Report on the Mollusk-Fauna of the Galí- 
pagos Islands, with Descriptions of New Species. Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., Vol 
XVI, p. 353-450, Pl. LI-LII, Washington, 1893. 
