i8 95 . EARTHWORMS AND OCEANIC ISLANDS. 125 



Peninsula, from Ceylon, and from Australia. One is disposed to 

 argue from its prevalence that it has been accidentally carried about 

 with plants, etc. ; there is no doubt that in these various localities it 

 is one of the commonest species, hence the chances of its accidental 

 transference are large. Eudrilus eugenics has a similarly wide range. . 

 It occurs in South America, Ceylon, New Zealand, New Caledonia, 

 etc. Now it will be noted that both these species occur upon true 

 oceanic islands. The semi-marine habit of Pontoscolex has been 

 already referred to. This may be considered in relation to the 

 occurrence in Hawaii of a species which really appears to be 

 different from P. corethrurus, and also to the existence in the Bermudas 

 of Onychochata windlei, a form which I separate generically, but which 

 Dr. Rosa does not. Here we have apparently two forms which are 

 peculiar to the islands in which they are found ; it may be that they 

 have been introduced in the past by some natural means and not by 

 man's interference. It is probable, however, that the two species 

 which occur in Teneriffe are accidental importations ; they are both 

 species of wide distribution. Micvoscolex modestus is found in such 

 widely-separated places as Italy and the Argentine. Allurus tetracdnis 

 inhabits Europe and New Zealand. 



The facts that are known respecting the earthworm fauna of 

 the islands in the Antarctic area have a greater significance, for, from 

 the present point of view, this region of the world is better known 

 than many others. Here we have a state of affairs which is quite 

 typical of oceanic islands : they are inhabited, that is to say, by 

 species different from but allied to those^of the nearest mainland. 

 Acanthodrilus georgianus of South Georgia is so near to Acanthodrilus 

 /falclandicus of the Falkland Islands that I at first confounded the 

 species ; they were, however, rightly, as I am now convinced, 

 distinguished by Michaelsen. The small Acanthodrilus of Marion 

 Island and of Kerguelen (they appear to be the same so far as my 

 recollection of the characters of the former goes) are near to South 

 American forms. This genus is the prevalent genus of the Antarctic 

 region, being found abundantly in New Zealand as well as Patagonia 

 and Chili, and occurring also, though more sparsely, at the Cape of 

 Good Hope and in Western Australia and New Caledonia. It must 

 be further borne in mind in considering the range of the present genus 

 that it can live in water with greater ease than some species, and that 

 one form at any rate, Acanthodrilus litoralis of Kinberg, was discovered 

 by him " Insula freti Magalaensis juxta litus." 



F. E. Beddard, 



