78 EARTHWORMS AND THEIR ALLIES [ok 



that a good deal still remains for discovery among 

 the earthworms of this island ; but a considerable 

 number are already known and they are as follows : 



The Eudrilidae are completely absent, a state of 

 affairs which is paralleled by the absence of antelopes 

 among mammals. 



The sub-family Acanthodrilinae of the family 

 Megascolecidae are represented by four species of 

 the genus Notiodrilus, with which perhaps Maheina 

 braaeri from the Seychelles should be included as 

 it presents small differences from Notiodrilus. 



Among the Megascolecinae a good many species 

 of Pheretlma have been collected both on Madagascar 

 and on certain adjacent islands ; but these, with one 

 possible exception, are forms which occur elsewhere 

 and are often indeed very widely distributed ' pere- 

 grines/ so that it is hardly permissible to place them 

 among the real inhabitants of Madagascar. The 

 same arguments hold in the case of Lampito mauritii 

 and the ubiquitous Eiidrilus and Pontoscolex. But 

 there is the peculiar Howascolex. 



Among the Ocnerodrilinae a distinct species of 

 Gordiodrilus occurs, and an obviously introduced 

 Ocnevodriliis. 



It is among the Geoscolecidae that the most 

 characteristic forms are met with. These belong 

 exclusively to a genus of the Microchaetinae, Kynotus, 

 which is found nowhere else but in Madagascar, 



