136 EARTHWORMS AND THEIR ALLIES [ch. 



mainly of many species of Kynotus. This genus, a 

 member of the sub-family Microchaetinae, of the 

 family Geoscolecidae, affines Madagascar to Ethiopia 

 and leads me to place both in the same region though 

 we may doubtless speak of a Malagasy sub-region. 



We have now to consider the eastern region of the 

 world comprising the two regions known generally 

 to zoogeographers as the Oriental and Australian. 

 Taking a large view of the range of sub-families and 

 genera, and endeavouring to make the great regions 

 of the globe more or less equal, it seems difficult to 

 divide further a region which shall include all of this 

 vast territory, and which may therefore be termed 

 Indo- Australian. For we find as characteristic of the 

 entire stretch of country the great majority of the 

 genera of the huge family Megascolecidae. Indeed 

 the largest sub-family of this family, i.e. the Megas- 

 colecinae, is, save for the mysterious occurrence of 

 the genera Plutellus and Megaseolides in America, 

 absolutely limited to this area. Another sub-family, 

 that of the Octochaetinae, is limited to it. So far as 

 concerns the others of the sub-families of Megas- 

 colecidae it is only the Trigastrinae which occur here 

 (the genus Eudichogaster and a few possibly intro- 

 duced species of Dlchogaster) and a scattered species 

 or two of Notiodrilus of the sub-family Acantho- 

 drilinae. Again there are a few and probably intro- 

 duced species of the sub-family Ocnerodrilinae. More 



