A DAY AT CHRISTMAS ISLAND. 139 



rity of cases these seeds are carried a short way only and 

 even if they were widely scattered by prolonged and violent 

 winds, they would have but little chance of accidentally strik- 

 ing an island far off in the sea. To the class with plumed 

 seeds belong Hoya Aldrichii, and Blumea spectabilis. Both 

 may have been introduced by wind-currents. 



Orchids are acknowledged to be rare in Oceanic Islands 

 although their minute seeds are blown from the split capsules 

 for a considerable distance. Perhaps that the Christmas 

 Island species were in this manner drifted to their present 

 home, but it is also possible that the epiphytic species were 

 floated there on logs of fallen trees, 



Ferns, the spores of which are produced in enormous quanti= 

 ties and are exceedingly light, are certainly widely scattered 

 by the blowing of their spores to long distances, and the same 

 remark applies to Fungi, Mosses and other Cellular Crypto- 

 gams, 



-:o:- 



