1891.] The Origin of the Galapagos Islands. 221 
Andes, and he appears to be on an elevation of jabout 3,000 m.; 
but in fact he is only 300m. high. Wolf found great resemblance 
with the small Paramo forests of the Andes, not only in the hab- 
itus of the trees, but also in the small plants which cover the 
ground and in the mosses and lichens which cover the trees. 
The woods are free, without creeping plants, making a passage 
easy. They are interrupted by small meadows, consisting nearly 
entirely of small Graminez and Cyperacee. Above this woody 
region another one could be distinguished, which is free from trees, 
and only covered with short grass. 
The description of these different zones is based on the condi- 
tion found on Charles Island; but it is the same, according to 
Wolf, on the others of high elevation. From this it is evident 
that different islands which do not reach to the humid region, 
like Hood, Barrington, Tower, and so on, show only the arid state. 
After this description of the climatological condition of the 
islands, I have to make some remarks on the topography of the 
whole group. The deepest sounding on record is 671 fathoms, 
between Tower and Indefatigable Islands; between the median 
islands the greatest deptli does not surpass 300 fathoms ; but a 
complete series of soundings between the different islands may 
bring to light quite different results. There is little doubt, however, 
that all the islands, Culpepper and Wenman perhaps excepted, 
are placed within the 1000-fathoms line. Northeast of Chatham, 
0° 24’ south, 80° 6’ west, 812 fathoms are recorded by the “ Alba- 
tross.” Itis probable that an elevation of 300 fathoms or 550 m. 
would bring all the central islands together.’ 
I give now the approximate distances between some of the 
islands: Hood to Culpepper, 430 km.; Chatham to Narborough, 
262 km.; Hood to Chatham, 50km.; Hood to Charles, 64 km. ; 
to Indefatigable, 65 km.; Albemarle to Abingdon, 
77 km.; Abingdon to Bindloe, 23 kaks Bindloe to Tower, 50 
km. ; 5 Abingdon to Weaman, 141 km.; Wenman to Culpepper, 
The soundings of the “ Albatross” have shown that the Galapagos are connected 
antago and "Malpelo Islands with Central America by the 4ooo-m. line, This is 
an important fact; all the older maps showed the Galapagos separated from Central 
America. k 
