Page - 436 - in The Origin of Species

436 ORIGIN OF SPECIES Seychelles. This general absence of frogs, toads, and newts on so many true oceanic islands cannot be accounted for by their physical conditions : indeed it seems that islands are peculiarly fitted for these animals ; for frogs have been intro- duced into Madeira, the Azores, and Mauritius, and have multiplied so as to become a nuisance. But as these animals and their spavin are immediately killed (with the exception, as far as known, of one Indian species) by sea-water, there would be great difficulty in their transportal across the sea, and therefore we can see why they do not exist on strictly oceanic islands. But why, on the theory of creation, they should not have been created there, it would be very difficult to explain. Mammals offer another and similar case. I have carefully searched the oldest voyages, and have not found a single instance, free from doubt, of a terrestrial mammal (excluding domesticated animals keptby the natives) inhabitingan island situated above 300 miles from a continent or great continental island; and many islands situated at a much less distance are equally barren. The Falkland Islands, which are inhabited by a wolf-like fox, come nearest to an exception ; but this group cannot be considered as oceanic, as it lies on a bank in connection with the mainland at the distance of about 280 miles ; moreover, icebergs formerly brought boulders to its western shores, and they may have formerly transported foxes, as now frequently happens in the arctic regions. Yet it cannot be said that small islands will not support at least small mammals, for they occur in many parts of the world on very small islands, when lying close to a continent ; and hardly an island can be named on which our smaller quadru- peds have not become naturalised and greatly multiplied. It cannot be said, on the ordinary view of creation, that there has not been time for the creation of mammals ; many vol- canic islands are sufficiently ancient, as shown by the stu- pendous degradation which they have suffered, and by their tertiary strata : there has also been time for the production of endemic species belonging to other classes ; and on conti- nents it is known that new species of mammals appear and disappear at a quicker rate than other and lower animals. Although terrestrial mammals do not occur on oceanic