rmly to
consult these merely accidental circumstances of space and time in the
depositing of his unique specific types? Do not such facts rather speak
with irresistible force in favour of the view, that while all ancient
and solitary islands have had time enough, and separation enough, to
admit of distinct histories of evolution having been written in their
living inhabitants, no one of the thousand islands of Great Britain has
had either time enough, or separation enough, to have admitted of more
than some of the first pages of such a history having been commenced?

But this allusion to Great Britain introduces us to another point. It
will have been observed that, unlike oceanic islands remote from
mainlands, Great Britain is well furnished both with reptiles (including
amphibia) and mammals. For there is no instance of any oceanic island
situated at more than 300 miles from a continent where any single
species of the whole class of mammals is to be found, excepting species
of the only order which is able to fly--namely, the bats. And the same
has to be said of frogs, toads, and newts, whose spawn is quickly killed
by contact with sea-water, and therefore could never have reached remote
islands in a living state. Hence, on evolutionary principles; it is
quite intelligible why oceanic islands should not present any species of
mammals or batrachians--peculiar or otherwise,--save such species of
mammals as are able to fly. But on the theory of special creation we can
assign no reason why, notwithstanding the extraordinary profusion of
unique types of other kinds which we have seen to occur on oceanic
islands, the Deity should have made this curious exception to the
detriment of all frogs, toads, newts, and mammals, save only such as are
able to fly. Or, if any one should go so far to save a desperate
hypothesis as to maintain that there must have been some hidden reason
why batrachians and quadrupeds were not specially created on oceanic
islands, I may mention another small--but in this relation a most
significant--fact. This is that on some of these islands there occur
certain peculiar species of plants, the seeds of which are provided with
numerous tiny hooks, obviously and beautifully adapted--like those on
the seeds of allied plants elsewhere--to catch the wool or hair of
moving quadrupeds, and so to further their own dissemination. But, as we
have just seen, there are no quadrupeds in the islands to meet these
beauti