|
or from a continent to a neighbouring island, but not from one distant continent to another. The floras of distant continents would not by such means become
→in any great degree;
but would remain as distinct as
now
→see them to be. The currents, from their course, would never bring seeds from North America to Britain, though they might and do bring seeds from the West Indies to our western shores, where, if not killed by
→so long an
immersion in
they could not endure our climate. Almost every year, one or two land-birds are blown across the whole Atlantic Ocean, from North America to the western shores of Ireland and England; but seeds could be transported by these
only by one means, namely,
dirt
to their
→which
is in itself a rare accident. Even in this case, how small
→would the chance be
of a seed falling on favourable soil, and coming to maturity! But it would be a great error to argue that because a well-stocked island, like Great Britain, has not, as far as is known (and it would be very difficult to prove this), received within the last few centuries, through occasional means of transport, immigrants from Europe or any other continent, that a poorly-stocked island, though standing more remote from the mainland, would not receive colonists by similar means.
→Out of twenty
seeds or animals transported to an island, even if far less well-stocked than Britain,
more than one would be so well fitted to its new home, as to become naturalised. But
→as it seems to me,
is no valid argument against what would be effected by occasional means of transport, during the long lapse of geological time, whilst
island was being
and
before it had become fully stocked with inhabitants. On almost bare land, with few or no destructive insects or birds living there, nearly every
|
