S3 2 Willis . — The Distribution of the Plants of 
Now, on the hypothesis of Natural Selection, or of youth and area, 
what conceivable reason can be given to explain why these endemics, which 
only range to a few small groups of little islands outside New Zealand, are 
yet more widespread in that country than the great group of ‘ wides \ Are 
these endemics younger than the wides as a whole, but older than the wides 
which reach the islands? If they are older, why did they not reach more 
islands ? And why are they more widespread than the wides which reach 
to Australia, Asia, or South America, but do not reach to the islands ? 
Nothing but age and area will explain these facts simply and reasonably. 
Of the five endemics in class io, four range far to the south through the 
Aucklands, only reaching Stewart Island of New Zealand proper, and the 
fifth, Lepyrodia Traversii , is a species as to whose correct identification with 
the one upon the Chathams I feel some doubt (see Cheeseman’s Flora). 
Now let us take the case of the species endemic to the islands only, and 
which do not occur in New Zealand. These, eighty in all, were omitted in 
my previous paper. None are endemic to the Kermadecs and Chathams, 
or to the Chathams and Aucklands, but a good many to more than one of 
the southern groups, which are not so far apart. This would be expected 
if they are the younger, for the wides would only reach the islands compara- 
tively late. If we take those which are confined to the three principal 
groups, we obtain the following table : 
Table III. 
Islands. 
Wides. 
Endemic to these islands 
only, and N. Z. 
Endemic to these 
islands only. 
Chathams 
72 
50 
25 
Kermadecs 
r 4 
13 
Aucklands 
24 
12 
9 
Twenty species are endemic to the Aucklands with the Campbells or other 
southern groups, but all but about three or four belong to South American 
genera. It will be noticed at once that, as in New Zealand itself, the larger 
the number of wides, the larger that of endemics, a fact very difficult to 
reconcile with the hypothesis of Natural Selection, or with the dying out of 
endemics on account of the competition of the wides. 
It is thus clear that the floras of the outlying islands of New Zealand, 
and their distribution, give very conclusive evidence in favour of my 
hypothesis of age and area. In a later paper I hope to discuss the peculiar 
features showrn by the species common, not to New Zealand and Australia, 
but to New Zealand and South America. 
In conclusion, it may be noted that this work throws a side-light upon 
the much-discussed problem of the original home of the Maoris. It was 
mentioned above that Pomaderris apetala was a very conspicuous exception 
in the grouping of the flora common to New' Zealand and the Chathams. It 
