304 JOURNAL OF SCIENCE. 
Zealand, but it was an excellent attempt to cast the problem 
into a shape in which it might be discussed. The most competent 
criticism on it came from Mr. A. R. Wallace, who re-discussed 
the question in his ‘“ Geographical Distribution of Animals,” 
published in 1876. Captain Hutton in his paper insisted on the 
necessity of former land connections of New Zealand at various 
periods, and particularly at an early epoch, when it formed part 
of a large continental area, with which South America, Australia, 
and South Africa were all connected (though not necessarily at 
the same time). This opinion, which he founded on the evidence 
furnished by the distribution of the struthious birds, the frogs, 
freshwater fishes, and other animals which have no means of 
crossing tracts of ocean, was disputed by Wallace, who considered 
that there formerly existed here a sub-continental area little in- 
ferior in size to Australia (and which included all the outlying 
islands), which remained in existence, but isolated from all other 
lands, for a considerable geological period, sufficient at any rate 
to allow of the development and specialization of the many forms 
of birds peculiar to cur islands. The occurrence of so many 
characteristic Australian genera heaccounted for byan interchange 
of species during all this time; while the South American 
element he believed to have been introduced by its great south- 
ward extension, bringing it within range of floating ice during 
the colder periods and within easy reach of the Antarctic con- 
tinent during the warm periods. Returning to the discussion of 
the problem in his “ Island Life,” published as recently as 1880, 
Mr. Wallace accords well-deserved praise to Captain Hutton’s 
speculations on the subject, but adheres largely to his formerly 
expressed opinion. In this interesting work he is able with the 
increased materials for the solution of the problem which had 
accumulated in the intervening four years, to throw out a new 
and highly probable explanation of the origin of a large portion 
of the fauna and flora. After a lapse of eleven years Professor 
Hutton has again come forward with a re-statement of his views 
on this important subject.* The most interesting feature in 
these latest papers is the argument advanced from the existence 
of an extensive submarine plateau extending in a north-westerly 
direction from Chili, and not very widely separated from another 
plateau which runs from New Guinea and North Australia in an 
easterly direction through Polynesia, and includes New Zealand 
in its southerly ramifications. This he believes to have formed 
the bridge by which the groups of semi-tropical plants and 
animals which connect Australia and Polynesia with South 
America travelled. 
Since his connection with Canterbury College, Professor 
Hutton has chiefly devoted his attention to a complete revision 
of our Molluscan fauna. But he has done and is doing excellent 
work in training a large number of students—many of them 
teachers—in the principles and practice of biology, and with this 
end in view he has recently devoted much time to botanical re- 
*N, Z. Journal of Science, Vol. Il, pp, 1-20 and 249-274, 
