Origin of Species Variorum

↑ 8 blocks not present in 1859 1860 1861 1866; present in 1869 1872

Locusts are sometimes blown to great distances from the land; I myself caught one 370 miles from the coast of Africa, and have heard of others caught at greater distances. The Rev. R. T. Lowe informs Sir C. Lyell that in November 1844 swarms of locusts visited the island of Madeira. They were in countless numbers, as thick as the flakes of snow in the heaviest snowstorm, and extended upwards as far as could be seen with a telescope. During two or three days they slowly careered round in the air in an immense ellipse, at least five or six miles in diameter, and at night alighted on the taller trees which were completely coated with them. They then disappeared over the sea, as suddenly as they had appeared, and have not since visited the island. Now, in parts of Natal it is believed by some of the farmers, though on quite insufficient evidence, that injurious seeds are introduced into their grass-land in the dung left by the great flights of locusts which often visit that country. In consequence of this belief Mr. Weale sent me in a letter a small packet of the dried pellets, out of which I extracted under the microscope several seeds, and raised from them seven grass plants, belonging to two species, in two genera. Hence a swarm of locusts, such as that which visited Madeira, might readily be the means of introducing several kinds of plants into an island lying far from the mainland.

→ OMIT 1861 1866 1869 1872

I can show that 1859 1860

→ and in another case twenty-two grains of 1861 1866 1869 1872

of 1859 1860

↑ 1 blocks not present in 1859 1860 1861 1866; present in 1869 1872

Here is a better case: the leg of a woodcock was sent to me by a friend, with a little cake of dry earth attached to the shank, weighing only nine grains; and this contained a seed of the toad-rush (Juncus bufonius) which germinated and flowered.

→ I will give one case:— Mr. 1866

For instance, Prof. 1869 1872

→ round the wounded leg and foot 1866

with 1869 1872

→ had collected, and this when removed weighed 1866

adhering to it, and weighing 1869 1872

→ feet? 1866

feet or beaks? 1869 1872

→ as suggested by Lyell, have 1866 1869 1872

have 1859 1860 1861

pellets or passed them in their

excre- ment;

excrement;

and several of these seeds retained

the

their

power of germination. Certain seeds, however, were always killed by this process. ↑

Although the beaks and feet of birds are generally

~~quite~~

quite

clean, →OMIT earth sometimes adheres to them: in one

instance

case

I removed

twenty-two

sixty-one

grains

grains,

→and in another case twenty-two grains of dry argillaceous earth from

the

one

foot of a partridge, and in

this

the

earth there was a pebble

~~quite~~

quite

as large as the seed of a vetch. ↑ Thus seeds might occasionally be transported to great distances; for many facts could be given showing that soil almost

everywhere

every-where

is charged with seeds. →I will give one case:— Mr. Newton sent me the leg of a red-legged partridge (Caccabis rufa) which had been wounded and could not

fly,

fly;

→round the wounded leg and foot a ball of hard earth →had collected, and this when removed weighed six and a half ounces.

The

This

earth had been kept for three years, but when broken, watered and placed under a bell glass, no less than 82 plants sprung

from it: these consisted of

twelve

monocotyledons, including the common oat, and at least one kind of grass, and of 70 dicotyledons, which

consisted,

included,

judging from the young leaves,

of at

least three distinct species. With such facts before us, can we doubt that the many birds which are annually blown by gales across great spaces of ocean, and which annually migrate— for instance, the millions of quails across the Mediterranean— must occasionally transport a few seeds embedded in dirt adhering to their →feet? But I shall

~~presently~~

presently

have to recur to this subject.

As icebergs are known to be sometimes loaded with earth and stones, and have even carried brushwood, bones, and the nest of a land-bird,

can hardly

doubt

be doubted

that they must

occasionally

occasionally,

→as suggested by Lyell, have transported seeds from