president's address. G65 



Viewing the results in their relation to geographical distribution 

 some important considerations present themselves. The range of 

 many known species is now for the first time considerabl}'- 

 extended. Examples are the Echidna, Smin'hopsis muriwi and 

 S. craasicaitdata, Antechinomys, five out of the six frogs, some of 

 the birds and reptiles ; among invertebrates the crayfish 

 (Astacopsis), the freshwater crab {Telphiaa), Apus, and others of 

 the Entomostraca; and certain molluscs and insects. 



Taking the different orders separately, some curious relations 

 manifest themselves. Among the mammals along with character- 

 istic and ubiquitous forms there occur also species found likewise in 

 the inland portions of one or more of each of the mainland 

 colonies. The birds, with the exception of five new species, Mr. 

 North reports to be chiefly species ranging over the southern half 

 of the continent, with a slight preponderance of western forms 

 a slight admixture of north-western species, and an absence of 

 northern species. Among the lizards, together with Eremian 

 and widely dispersed species, there are northern and western forms. 

 Of the frogs, one species is new: the remaining five occur also in 

 the interior of New South AVales or Queensland only one of them 

 (Hijla inthella) extending also to West Austraha. The land 

 Mollusca, of all the Orders represented, present the largest per- 

 centage of endemic forms; their general facies approximating more 

 to that of subtropical West Australia than to any other part of 

 the Continent. From the limited number of genera and their 

 peculiar distribution Prof. Tate regards them as indicating a 

 primitive group whose insularity has long been maintained. The 

 fluviatile Mollusca, however, present species belonging for the 

 most part to Queensland and the Northern Territory. 



Considering the fauna of Central Australia as a whole, it 

 will be seen that the regions into which Prof. Tate has proposed 

 to subdivide Australia from botanical considerations are not 

 equally satisfactory from a zoological point of view. Probably 

 no one set of regional subdivisions would entirely suit the views 

 of all specialists. 



