PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS. 335 
Chelonian in South America of the same genus (Miolania) 
as occurs m Lord Howe Island and in Queensland; further, 
Osborne, from the general study of the evolution of mam- 
malia ; Beddard, as an outcome of the study of earthworms ; 
Spencer Moore, from a study of South African flora; Von 
Graff, who finds, amongst the Planarians, certain genera 
practically divided between Australasian and Neotropical 
regions—all give in their adherence to the existence of such 
a continent, as well as do several other botanists and geo- 
logists; while it also appears that geographers, from their 
own special studies, have reason to believe in the existence 
of an Antarctica; and some little evidence from the geologi- 
cal side, at any rate, seems to confirm the view of a land 
continuity between Victoria and Wilkes Land, which pre- 
sents evidence of being “‘ continental geologically, if not geo- 
graphically at the present time.” 
It is quite needless for me to detail the evidence brought 
forward by so many able authorities in favour of this con- 
tinent. All I wish to put before you is the evidence afforded 
by the earthworms, and this is, I think, as strong as any 
other, of some land connection between New Zealand, South 
Africa, and South America, and, but doubtfully, with Aus- 
tralia. I will now attempt to trace out the migration of 
these genera. 
The phylogeny of the chief genera of earthworms with 
which we are concerned has been worked out pretty fully by 
Michaelsen ; and most lumbricologists are agreed that the 
Acanthodrilids, Cryptodrilids, Megascolex, and Pheretima, 
are genetically related in the order named. Most of us 
consider Votiodrilus or some similar form as tha most archaic 
of the series, and as being close to the base of the whole 
series of earthworms. This conclusion was arrived at, on 
anatomical grounds, by one who did not consider an Ant- 
arctic continent nece8sary to explain the facts of distribu- 
tion. 
It is true that Beddard reverses the order, and regards 
Pherettma as the most archaic—a view founded principalfy 
en facts of distribution—but this involves a great number 
of anatomical difficulties, while it is entirely opposed to the 
little we know of the embryology of earthworms. 
The facts derived from the study of anatomy, and those 
derived from the consideration of the distribution of the 
earthworms, seem to confirm the view as to the former exist- 
ence of an Antarctica. 
We find the most archaic earthworms down in the extreme 
south. It is true that this may be explained by imagining 
