Benham. — North Island Earthworms. 239 



after it is taken out, and the flesh, that remains on the bones is 

 scraped off." Many of the bones, he states, were painted red. 

 This amiable Teuton was careful to rifle the cave tomb and carry 

 off a mule-load of the human remains it contained. 



It is with regret that I now bring this paper to a close and lay 

 aside my pen, inasmuch as the article goes forward in very in- 

 complete state. I have many notes on the subject wh : ch remain 

 to be written up, but have not been able to obtain the assistance 

 of any of the few men of knowledge left to verify and explain 

 such items. They must be forwarded at some future time. 

 " Kati te tangi ; apopo tatou ka tangi ano." 



We have now at various times and in divers journals ushered 

 the Maori into the world, and noted the quaint rites pertaining 

 to reproduction. We have told of his origin, his religion, his 

 myths and folk-lore. We have described his food-supplies, 

 his amusements, his arts, and superstitions. His woodcraft 

 and war-customs, his mentality and ideality, have been reviewed. 

 We have married him, and watched him in his last hours. We 

 have despatched his soul to the underworld, and cried him fare- 

 well to the dim shores of Hawaiki. And I do not think that we 

 can do much more for him. Nothing remains save the mate- 

 mate-a-one. 



Art. XXVI. — Additional Notes on the Earthworms of the 

 North Island of New Zealand. 



By W. B. Benham, D.Sc, M.A., F.Z.S., Professor of Biology 



in the University of Otago. 



[Read before the Otago Institute, 10th October, 1905.] 



Plate XL. 



During the last twelve months I have received a few additional 

 gatherings of earthworms from the North Island, for which I 

 have to thank my correspondents, Messrs. Elsdon Best, H. Suter. 

 and C. Cooper. No new area has been tapped, though I hope to 

 obtain worms from the southern part of the Island next year. 

 I find amongst them three new species, two of which belong 

 to the genera Tokea, and Rhododrilus, to which the common 

 native worms of this portion of the colony belong ; a third belongs 

 to a genus (Dinodrilus) the only other species of which has been 

 obtained from the South Island. 



1. Tokea sapida, Benham, P.Z.S., 1904 (ii), p. 245. 



Of these species I only possessed a single individual at the 

 time I wrote the account of its structure. I am now able to 



