To J. D. Hooker   5 August [1866]¹

My dear Hooker

Beatson’s bird appears to be one of the Grallatores & such ought not to be called land birds & in my journal I especially exclude them, but state that they are the first immigrants on almost every island.² At p. 422 of Origin you will find something about land birds on islands, which with respect to Madeira stands in New. Ed. thus corrected. There are 99 kinds, of which one alone is peculiar tho’ very closely related to a European form & 3 or 4 other species are confined to this island & the Canaries.³ About the birds of the Azores I know nothing except that I saw several European kinds there.⁴

It makes me rather miserable to see how differently we look at every thing: I sh^d not have expected many American plants in the Azores, seeing that the temperate parts are nearly twice & a half as distant as is Europe; seeing that the sea-currents flow only from the tropical states; & lastly as the American birds which are annually blown to Europe cross the ocean, as lately shewn by D^r Baird U.S., in the lat. of Ireland & Heligoland.⁵ Formerly, at least judging from the erratic boulders, currents must have reached the Azores from the North.⁶

I heartily wish all your labours were over   yours affectionately | Ch. Darwin

Whilst trying to find whether I had not a note about Birds being blown to the Azores from Europe—I came across these words “Seeds could arrive at Madeira & Azores by Rennell’s current & then be swept to the south”—⁷ What this means I now know not.—