158 Transactions. — Zoology. 



graphical limitation, so have earthworms. We know that 

 certain genera have their home in certain definite portions of 

 the land or zoological regions, and that certain species of these 

 genera are peculiar to certain definite areas of each region. 

 Further, we have to recognise that a native fauna of worms 

 may be interfered with by the introduction of foreign worms, 

 in the same way that native birds tend to disappear at 

 the hands of man, or his accompanying animals. From the 

 accumulated knowledge, then, of recent years we know that 

 the worm Lumbricus is a characteristic European (and perhaps 

 North American) genus, and that it does not occur in other 

 parts of the world unless carried thither by man. We know 

 this from the fact that no distinct species of Lumbricus (and 

 its allied genera, which have recently been separated from it) 

 occur outside Europe and North America ; consequently, when 

 Hutton described Lumbricus, n. sp., from New Zealand, lum- 

 bricologists felt pretty sure that an error had been made, and, 

 moreover, the description, as given by him, served to show 

 that the identification was impossible.* 



Just as New Zealand has its special and peculiar birds, so 

 it has peculiar species and genera of earthworms. These 

 genera belong to the family Acanthodrilida, which differ from 

 Lumbricus in every possible way, except that they have 

 generally eight bristles in each segment; and Hutton 's diag- 

 noses of his species of Lumbricus indicated that they belong to 

 this family. 



As to the Megascolex, too, this genus, though having a wide 

 distribution, and occurring in Australia, has certainly not been 

 recorded from these Islands ; but there is a very deceptive 

 similarity between Megascolex (a Perichata) and a genus of 

 the family Acantliodrilida to which I gave the name Plagio- 

 chcBta some few yetirs ago, and from Hutton's brief account 

 of the Megascolex, n. sp., it seemed pretty certain that they 

 belonged to this genus. 



As I have for the last thirteen years spent a good deal of 

 my time in the study of worms from all parts of the world, it 

 was natural that I should wish to examine the New Zealand 

 representatives at first hand. Our knowledge at present de- 

 pends almost entirely on the able researches of my friend 

 Mr. Beddard, who has been able to give a detailed account of 

 the anatomy of our native worms, and to describe a consider- 

 able number of species, owing mainly to the kindness of the 

 late Professor Parker and of Mr. W. W. Smith, of Ashburton, 

 both of whom have from time to time sent specimens Home to 

 him. There is, however, still some work to be done, especially 

 in the biology of the group, though we already have some very 



* For instance, Beddard, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1885, p. 812. 



