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The excerpt represents the core issue or deciding factor on which you must meditate, and is drawn from On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin: island, but not from one distant continent to another. The floras of
distant continents would not by such means become mingled in any great
degree; but would remain as distinct as we 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 salt-water,
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 wanderers only by one means, namely, in dirt sticking to their
feet, which is in itself a rare accident. Even in this case, how small
On the Origin of Species |
