342 Willis. — Further Evidence for Age and Area; 
corresponding Angiosperms, which are much less able than the Ferns to pass 
over long stretches of water. The rarity of the Ferns which had also reached 
the islands is much less than that of the corresponding Angiosperms, as 
would be expected by reason of their greater age. 
It will be noticed that the fern wides which do not reach any islands 
are rarer than the endemics which do not do so. On my hypothesis as to 
the late arrival of some of the Ferns, this is intelligible enough, but it is an 
awkward difficulty for the Natural Selectionist, or the supporter of the idea 
of the dying out of endemics. 
Passing on to the third column, one notices at once that the endemics, 
as would be expected from their age, show a marked accumulation at the 
top, and this is also shown in the last column, though, as would be expected, 
the latter shows more species in the lower classes. The one endemic in the 
third column that is below the fifth class has a range that includes the 
Chathams, Aucklands, and Antipodes, and evidently only touched New 
Zealand with the outer part of its circle of distribution : its centre of origin 
was probably somewhere between the Chathams, Aucklands, and Antipodes. 
The three chief groups of islands are the Kermadecs (north), Chathams 
(east), and Aucklands (south), and it is interesting to note the proportionate 
numbers that reach them : 
Table V. 
Reaching. Ferns. Angiosperms. 
+ ^ > ' ^ 
Wides. Endemics. Wides. Endemics. 
(N. Z. and Islands.') (N. Z. and Islands .) 
Rarity . 
Rarity. 
Rarity. 
Rarity. 
K., Ch., Au. 7 
1*0 
— 
— 
4 
1*0 
— 
— 
K., Ch. 4 ) 
1*2 ) 
1 ) 
1*0 j 
1 
16 ) „ 
i-3 ) 0 
2-2 ) 
1 
Ch., Au. io [ 14 
[•0 | l '°? 
il 2 
X T° \ 
. 4.0 
11 ( 27 
2*6 i '- 8 
9 1 
17 
2-3 i 
• 2*2 
K. 6) 
4*6 ■) 
— ) 
— . 1 
16 ) 
3-6 ) 
7 
3-8] 
Ch. 17 L23 
i -5 h-3 
5 9 
i-8 
.2-5 
36 62 
i-6 L 2*6 
33 
•74 
i-8 
• 3*0 
Au. — J 
“ J 
4 j 
3*5 , 
10 J 
4.6 ) 
34 
4.0 
Total 44 
11 
93 
9 i 
Total of wides in N. Z. 92 
301 
The Ferns are distinctly the more widespread group : the first class 
(K., Ch., Au.) should be especially noted, and it should be observed that all 
its members, both Ferns and Angiosperms, show the maximum possible 
commonness in New Zealand, ranging the islands from end to end. The 
second degree of commonness is found in the second class, the third in the 
third, with the single exception of the endemic fern reaching the Chathams 
and Aucklands. 
If my hypothesis be accepted, another prediction may be made as 
1 Perhaps a case of accidental transport, but see above on this page. 
