122 PLANTS, SEEDS, AND CURRENTS 



sea. Since the drift always reaches these islands from the southward 

 and eastward, it is likely that these seeds were brought by the 

 Equatorial Current flowing northward along the coasts of Brazil, 

 and it is not beyond the limits of possibility that they might even 

 have been brought over from the African coasts. 



It is, however, with the two seeds of the " uteris " type (Mucuna 

 urens and M. altissima ?) that we are here concerned. Singular 

 confusion has arisen in the application of the specific name of 

 pruriens DC. to one of these by older as well as recent botanists, 

 a name which is really that of a very different species of Mucuna, 

 a weed of cultivation and quite unsuited for distribution by the 

 currents. The error seems to date far back, perhaps originating with 

 the interpretation of a remark made by Forster, one of Cook's 

 botanists; but the discussion of the matter is reserved for Note 10 

 of the Appendix. Both of them came under my notice in a sound 

 condition amongst the West Indian seeds stranded on the Azores. 

 As in the beach-drift of the Turks Islands, those of the true urens 

 type were only half as frequent as those of the other species. It is 

 probable that the drift seeds of this genus which Darwin received 

 with other drift from the Azores (Chall. Bot., IV., 291) belonged to 

 these types. Evidently both kinds are often cast up on European 

 beaches ; but it is noteworthy that of the five specimens from those 

 beaches which I have handled — namely, from the South of England, 

 Ireland, and the Shetland Islands, four belong to the " near urens " 

 kind and one to the true urens type. However, both sorts are to be 

 found amongst the West Indian drift seeds picked up in the South 

 of England, as contained in the Kew collection. 



Ever since Sloane referred, more than two centuries ago, to the 

 fact that these Mucuna seeds are frequently thrown up on the Orkney 

 Islands, they have been frequently observed on European coasts, 

 and they are often mentioned in this connection in Chapter II. On 

 the Scandinavian beaches they are very commonly noticed according 

 to Sernander (pp. 119, 143), and have even been found on the Baltic 

 shores, being alluded to under the name of M. urens, L., DC. land- 

 man, who is there quoted, mentions the seeds of yet another species 

 of the genus which have been found on Scandinavian beaches. They 

 are referred with a query to M. macroceratoides, DC. In the Index 

 Kewensis, M. macroceratides is accredited to Brazil. It was evi- 

 dently to M. urens that Lyngbye alluded when he identified some 

 seeds picked up by him on the Faroe Islands in 1817 as belonging to 

 Dolichos urentis, a matter already mentioned in Chapter II. 



The records of these seeds on European beaches are to be found 

 scattered through Chapter II. In this place they are briefly given 

 together. Next to the record of their occurrence in the Faroe Islands 

 we have that for the Shetland Islands. The specimens sent to me 

 from that group were of the " near urens " type. Mr. Peel refers 

 to seeds probably of Mucuna urens as amongst the West Indian seeds 

 thrown up on the outer Hebrides ; and it cannot be doubted that they 

 frequently reach the west coasts of Scotland. On the Irish coast 

 they are regular constituents of the West Indian drift there stranded. 

 For my information relating to this locality I am mainly indebted 



