i I,
I
h a v in g p a s se d th e n ig h t o n th e s e b la c k a n d n a k e d ro ck s , h a v e aw a k e n e d
in th e m o rn in g w ith a s tro n g p a ro x y sm o f fev e r.” H um b o ld t th in k s th a t
th e s e cases m ay b e e x p la in e d b y th e e ffe c t p ro d u c e d o n th e b o d y b y th e
h ig h t em p e r a tu r e , w h ich th e b la c k ro ck s, c o a te d w ith a la y e r o f th e o x id es
o f m a n g a n e s e a n d iro n , r e ta in d u r in g th e n ig h t. B u t i t a p p e a r s to m e
th a t th e r e la tio n is to o rem a rk a b le to b e th u s e x p la in e d , b e tw e e n th is
fa c t a n d th o s e m e n tio n e d b y D r . F e rg u so n , in w h ic h th e d e s ic c a tio n o f
n e a rly b a re ro c k in S p a in , a n d o f a v e ry th in b e d o f e a r th o v e rly in g d ry
co ra l-ro c k in th e W e s t In d ie s , h a s g iv en ris e to th e m o s t p e s tife ro u s
e x h a la tio n s .
P a g e 4 61.
T h e s ix th b ird , m e n tio n e d as a n in h a b i t a n t o f th e G a la p ag o s , M r.
G o u ld n ow finds is n o t lik e th e re s t, p e c u lia r to th e s e islan d s, b u t is a
k n ow n N o r th A m e ric a n sp e c ie s o f A m m o d ram u s.
P a g o 4 6 5 .
1 h a v e g iv en m y re a so n fo r b e lie v in g t h a t th e Tcstudo, in a p p ro p r ia te ly
c a lle d Indiciis, is a n a b o rig in a l sp ecie s o f th e G a la p ag o s . I n ow fin d {K errs
Voyages, vo l. x ., p . 3 7 3 ) t h a t as for b a c k as 1708, W o o d s , R o g e rs, a n d
C o u r tn e y , in th e i r v o y ag e ro u n d tb e wo rld , sp e ak in g o f th e to rto is e s o f
th e s e islan d s, say t h a t i t is th e o p in io n o f th e Spaniards th a t th e r e is no
o th e r in these seas, e x c e p t a t th e G a la p ag o s : i t is, h ow e v e r, th e n a d d e d ,
t h a t th e y a re com m o n in B ra z il,—a m is ta k e w h ic h m ay b e a tt r ib u t e d to
tw o d iffe re n t sp e c ie s n o t h a v in g b e e n d is tin g u ish e d . I t h a s b e e n s a id
t h a t th e b o n e s o f Tcstudo Indicus w e re fo u n d in n um b e r s in th e Is le
o f F r a n c e , w ith som e fra gm en ts o f th o s e o f th e D o d o ; b u t M . B ib ro n—
o n e o f th e b e s t a u th o r itie s in E u ro p e o n r e p tile s—in fo rm s m e t h a t h e
h a s re a so n to b e lie v e t h a t a s e c o n d sp e cie s h a s b e e n c o n fo u n d e d u n d e r
th is n am e .
I n th e s am e p a g e I r em a rk th a t th e r e is e v e ry re a so n fo r b e lie v in g t h a t
s e v e ra l o f th e isla n d s possess th e i r own p e c u lia r v a rie tie s o r sp ecie s o f
to r to is e , b u t t h a t my sp e cim en s w e re to o sm a ll to d e c id e th is q u e s tio n .
M . B ib ro n n ow in fo rm s m e, t h a t h e has s e en fu ll-g row n an im a ls , b ro u g h t
f rom th is A rch ip e la g o , w h ic h h e co n s id e rs u n d o u b te d ly to b e d is tin c t
sp e cie s. A t p . 4 67, 1 h av e o b se rv e d t h a t th e sp e c im en s o f th e Amblyrhyncus
cristatus— th a t e x tr a o rd in a ry m a rin e h e rb iv o ro u s liz a rd— we re
la rg e r from A lb em a rle , th a n from a n y o th e r isla n d . I n th is ca se , also,
M . B ib ro n te lls m e, h e h a s se en w h a t h e co n s id e rs tw o sp e cie s o f th e
a q u a ti c A m b ly rh y n c u s , b e sid e s th e te r r e s tr ia l sp e cie s . D o u b tle s s th e
s e v e ra l islan d s h av e th e i r ow n r e p r e s e n ta tiv e s o f th e A m b ly rh y n c u s , lik e
th e y h av e o f som e o f th e b ird s , a n d o f th e to rto is e s . W ith r e s p e c t to th e
p la n ts from th is A rc h ip e la g o , P ro fe s so r H e n s low w r ite s to m e, th a t
a lth o u g h h e h a s n o t y e t e x am in e d th em a tte n tiv e ly , h e finds t h a t “ th e r e
a r e s e v e ra l in s ta n c e s o f d is tin c t sp e c ie s o f th e s am e g e n u s , s e n t from o n e
isla n d o n ly ; t h a t is, w h ils t th e g e n u s is com m o n to tw o o r th r e e islan d s,
th e sp ecies a r e o fte n d iffe re n t in th e d iff e re n t isla n d s . I n som e cases th e
sp e c ie s se em to ru n v e ry d o s e to e a ch o th e r , b u t a re , I b e liev e , distinct.”
I m ay o b se rv e th a t, from m y ig n o ra n c e o f b o ta n y , I c o lle c te d m o re
b lin d ly in th is d e p a r tm e n t o f n a tu r a l h is to ry th a n in a n y o th e r ; so t h a t
c e rta in ly i t was n o t intentionally th a t I b ro u g h t th e d iff e re n t sp e cie s from
d iff e re n t islan d s. If, in d e e d , I a t a ll n o tic e d th e i r re sem b la n c e , I p ro b a b ly
c o lle c te d th e s e co n d a n d th ir d sp e cie s as d u p lic a te s p e c im en s o f th e first.
I t is useless to r e p e a t h e re m y r e g r e ts a t n o t h a v in g p ro c u r e d a p e rf e c t se rie s
in e v e ry o rd e r o f n a tu r e from th e s e v e ra l islan d s : m y e x c u se m u s t b e , th e
e n tir e n o v e lty o f th e fac t, t h a t islan d s in s ig h t o f e a c h o th e r s h o u ld b e
c h a ra c te r iz e d b y p e c u lia r fau n a s : I o u g h t, p e rh a p s , r a th e r to th in k i t
fo rtu n a te , th a t su ffic ie n t m a te ria ls w e re o b ta in e d to e s ta b lis h so r em a rk a
b le a c irc um s ta n c e in th e g e o g ra p h ic a l d is tr ib u tio n o f o rg an ic b e in g s ,
a lth o u g h th e y a r e in su ffic ien t to d e te rm in e to w h a t e x te n t th e fa c t h o ld s
g o o d .
P a g e 4 77.
T o th e tw o cases o f la n d -b ird s b e in g e x tr em e ly tam e in isla n d s o n ly
la te ly in h a b ite d b y m an , I m ig h t h a v e a d d e d T r is t a n d a A c u n h a .
C a p ta in D . C a rm ic h a e l {Linn. Tt'ansact., v o l. x ii., p . 4 9 6 ) , s p e a k in g o f
th e th ru s h a n d b u n tin g— th e o n ly t r u e la n d -b ird s—says, “ t h e y fly a b o u t
th e c a n to nm e n t, a n d a r e so tam e a s to su ffe r th em s e lv e s to b e c a u g h t
w i th a h a n d -n e t.”
P a g e 5 5 2 .
O n e o f th e sp e cie s o f M ille p o r a , w h ic h is m e n tio n e d a s h a v in g th e
p ro p e r ty o f s tin g in g , is th e M . complanata; a n d th e o th e r , I b e lie v e , is
M . alcicornis. I n th e V o y ag e o f th e A s tro la b e (v o l. iv ., p . 19), a n
A c tin ia is s a id to h a v e th is p r o p e r ty , a n d ev en to in fe c t th e w a te r, w h ic h
i t sq u ir ts from its m o u th . A fle x ib le c o ra llin e , a llie d to S e r tu la r ia , was
o b s e rv e d (p . 3 3 7 ) a t N ew I r e l a n d to h a v e th e sam e s tin g in g p ow e r.