Chilton. — On Neio Zealand FresJmater Crayfish. 237 



to its former channel. I would have a number of large stones 

 in the bottom of the pond to provide hiding-places, as the trout 

 of all ages seem inclined to lie quiet during the day, and come 

 out at dusk to rove about. While kept in the pond they should 

 be fed regularly. 



I have pleasure in adding that I have been greatly indebted 

 to Mr. Ayson, of the Welhngton Acclimatization Society, at 

 Masterton, from whom I have received much valuable infor- 

 mation, and small parcels of trout for experimental purposes. 



Art. XXVIII. — The Distribution and Varieties of the Fresh- 

 water Crayfish of New Zealand. 



By Chas. Chilton, M.A., B.Sc. 



[Read before the Otago Institute, 11th September, 1888.] 



Plate X. 



For some years past I have been engaged, whenever oppor- 

 tunity offered, in forming a collection of freshwater crayfish 

 from the various parts of New Zealand, with a view of de- 

 termining exactly how many species were represented, and 

 what varieties of these species, if any, existed. By the assist- 

 ance of several friends I have succeeded in getting a fairly 

 representative collection from both islands, and I now give 

 the somewhat meagre results that I have arrived at from the 

 examination and comparison of specimens from the various 

 localities. 



It will be well first to state briefly what has been previously 

 written on the subject. 



Miers, in his catalogue of the stalk- and sessile-eyed Crus- 

 tacea of New Zealand (pp. 72, 73), published in 1876, gives 

 three species of freshwater crayfish as inhabiting New Zea- 

 land — viz., (1) Parancphrops planifrons , White (including under 

 this P. teoiuicornis, Dana), (2) P. sctosus, Hutton, and (3) P. 

 zealandicits , White. 



P. planifrons is well known from many parts of the North 

 Island, and P. setosus from the Avon, in North Canterbury, 

 and from other localities in the South Island ; but P. zea- 

 landicus does not seem to have been with certainty re- 

 cognised since it was originally described by White. It 

 was described in 1847, and, as I have already stated in a 

 previous paper,* Professor Hutton, who described his P. 



Trans. N. Z. Inst.," vol. xv., p. 151. 



