THE BOTANY OF CHRISTMAS ISLAND. 257 



Chnoospora fastigiata, J. Ag. Alg. Lichm. 

 Cove near Waterfall. 



Ulva Lactuca, L. Flying Fish Gove. 

 Cladophora repens, Har. Phycol. Brit, t 236. 



Flying Fish Cove, Cove near Waterfall. 



Caulerpa peltatG, Lam. Journ. de Bot. 1809 p. 145. 

 Waterfall Cove. 



Choetomorpha javanica, Kuetz. Sp. Alg. p. 376. 

 Flying Fish Cove. 



Enteromorpha compressa, Grev. Alg. Brit. p. 180. 

 Flying Fish Cove. 



Siphonocladus Zollingeri, Born. Journ. de Bot. 1887, p. 56. 

 Flying Fish Cove. 



Dissemination of the Plants of Christmas Island. 



Christmas Island as far as there is any reason to believe is 

 a true Oceanic Island, that is to say, it has never at any time 

 been connected with the mainland of Java or with any other 

 land. Its geology was carefully studied by Andrews and is 

 described in the Monograph of Christmas Island. He shews it 

 to be an extinct volcano covered with coral reefs of various 

 ages from the eocene period to the present day. This being 

 so it follows that the indigenous plants reached the island by 

 means which enabled them to cross the sea either by their seeds 

 being drifted by sea -currents, or blown there by the wind, or 

 carried by birds or bats. 



It is probable that some part of the island was above 

 water, and capable of maintaining terrestrial plants in Miocene 

 times so that some of the plants may have established them- 

 selves as early as that period, but no fossil plants have yet been 



B. A. Soc-, No. 45, 1905. 



