218 Transactions. — Zoology. 



a low costa, delineated by a lake border, representing the 

 shoe. 



Two specimens contained in the collection of the late Dr. 

 Fowell. 



Note on Lathrodectus scelio (Katipo). 



About a year ago an occasional correspondent of mine, 

 Mr. R. Allan Wight, forwarded to Washington specimens of 

 Lathrodectus scelio, accompanied by examples of katipo. To 

 his queries he received last January the following reply from 

 Professor C. V. Eiley : " The specimens which you obtained 

 from Mr. Olliff of the Australian Lathrodectus scelio I am very 

 glad to see. I showed them to Dr. George Marx, our acknow- 

 ledged authority on spiders, and he states that there is no 

 question that this is identical with Lathrodectus scelio of Koch. 

 It is undoubtedly distinct from Lathrodectus katipo," &c. 



As the apparently conjoint decision of Professor Eiley and 

 Dr. Marx differed from the opinion that I ventured to express 

 on the subject in a paper contained in the Transactions of 

 the New Zealand Institute, vol. xxiv., 1891, I forwarded to 

 Professor T. Thorell examples of Lathrodectus scelio obtained 

 from Queensland, New South Wales, and Tasmania, also 

 fresh specimens of katipo — for which I am indebted to 

 T. Kirk, Esq., F.L.S.— requesting his opinion as to whether 

 they were identical or not. In the reply that he kindly 

 furnished me with, dated 22nd June, 1892, he says, " I quite 

 agree with you that Lathrodectus katiijo and L. scelio is one 

 and the same species. I have already expressed that opinion 

 in my * Eagni Malesi e Papuani,' iii., Eagni delle Austro- 

 Malesia e del Cape York." 



Art. XVII. — Notes on the Neiv Zealand Bats. 



By T. F. Chbeseman, F.L.S. 



[Read before tha Auckland Institute, 38th August, 1893-2 



One of the most remarkable peculiarities of the fauna of New 

 Zealand, and one which has been much commented upon, is 

 the paucity of indigenous land-marnmals. Only four have 

 been catalogued — the dog, or " Maori dog," as it is usually 

 called, the native rat, and two species of bats. And if we 

 examine the subject carefully we shall find very good cause 

 for believing that the two bats are the only land-mammals 

 which can undoubtedly prove their claim to be considered 

 aboriginal inhabitants of New Zealand. Take the case of the 



