314 Transactions. — Botany. 



the early Tertiary — when that continent, although connected 

 with New Zealand, was itself divided into an eastern and a 

 western half by a wide strait (102, p. 196), New Zealand having 

 previously possessed "a scanty vegetation of nuxed antarctic 

 and Polynesian origin " [I.e., p. 499). By the above means New 

 Zealand would get the thirty-two tropical genera common to 

 it and Australia, and probably " thirty-two more genera, 

 which, though chiefly developed in temperate Australia, 

 extend into the tropical or subtropical portions of it, and 

 may well have reached New Zealand by the same route" 

 {I.e., p. 501). The ninety-six species common to New 

 Zealand and Australia at a much more recent period in 

 some manner or other crossed the sea. at least six hundred 

 miles broad, between New Zealand and Australia. The 

 Fuegian plants, many of which belong to northern genera, 

 the New Zealand genera Pachycladon and Notothlaspi, 

 " said to have affinities with arctic plants," and Stilbocarpa, 

 with its "nearest allies in the Himalayan and Chinese 

 Aralias" {I.e., p. 519), came from South America (the arctic 

 and northern elements by way of the Andes during the 

 glacial periods), some settling (iown in Tierra del Fuego and 

 Soiithern Chile ; others passed over the five hundred miles to 

 the South Shetlands, and thence by way of the antarctic 

 continent or group of laige islands to Adelie Land, and thence 

 to Young Island. From here they travelled across the sea 

 750 miles to Macquarie Island, and thence across another 

 expanse of sea to New Zealand or Tasmania, these lands at 

 this time having a considerable extension to the soutli. 



Dr. H. O. Forbes advocates actual land-connection between 

 the New Zealand biological area, the antarctic continent. 

 South America, South Africa, &c., but unfortunately only the 

 short notice of his views m Nature and certain letters he wrote 

 in that journal are available here (36). 



With regai'd to direct land-connection between New Zea- 

 land and South America, the presence of genera of animals 

 which could not tolerate sea travel is of the highest import- 

 ance. Such, for instance, are earthworms. Regarding the 

 genus Microscole.v , of which a species, JSI. huttoui, occurring in 

 Chatham Island, was recently described by Dr. W.B. Denliam, 

 that author writes (6, p. 143), " The existence of this genus 

 here in New Zealand, with four distinct species, goes very far 

 towards supporting a land-connection with South America, 

 and points perhaps rather to a connection with the northern 

 part of the southern continent than with the extreme south." 

 Another worm is Acantliodrllus viacquaricnsis, Bonhani, of 

 Macquarie Island, which " has closer affinities with the species 

 occurring in Patagonia, the Island of South Georgia, and the 

 Falkland Isles than with those of New Zealand " (I.e., p. 132) ; 



