| 1 | 0 |
+------------+---------+----------+-----------+----------+----------+

From this synopsis we perceive that out of a total of 658 species of
terrestrial animals known to inhabit these three oceanic territories,
all are peculiar, with the exception of a single land-bird which is
found in the Galapagos Islands. This is the rice-bird, so very abundant
on the American continent that its representatives must not unfrequently
become the involuntary colonists of the Archipelago. There are, however,
a few species of non-peculiar insects inhabiting the Sandwich and
Galapagos Islands, the exact number of which is doubtful, and on this
account are not here quoted. But at most they would be represented by
units, and therefore do not affect the general result. Lastly, the
remarkable fact will be noted, that there is no single representative of
the mammalian class in any of these islands.

If we turn next to consider the case of plants, we obtain the following
result:--

+-----------+-----------+--------------+
| |_Peculiar |_Non-peculiar |
| | Species._ | Species._ |
+-----------|-----------|--------------+
|Sandwich | 377 | 243 |
|Galapagos | 174 | 158 |
|St. Helena | 50 | 26 |
| | ---- | ---- |
| Totals | 601 | 427 |
+-----------+-----------+--------------+

So that by adding together peculiar species both of land-animals and
plants, we find that on these three limited areas alone there are 1258
forms of life which occur nowhere else upon the globe--not to speak of
the peculiar aquatic species, nor of the presumably large number of
peculiar species of all kinds not hitherto discovered in these
imperfectly explored regions.

Now let us compare these facts with those which are presented by the
faunas and floras of islands less remote from continents, and known
from independent geological evidence to be of comparatively recent
origin--that is, to have been separated from their adjacent mainlands in
comparatively recent times, and therefore as islands to be comparatively
young. The British Isles furnish as good an instance as could be chosen,
for they together comprise over 1000 islands of various sizes, which are
nowhere separated from one another by deep seas, and in the opinion of
geologists were all continuous with the European continent since the
glacial period.