PROCEEDIXGS OF SECTION D. 271 



or holes in the mud, where they may often be found in masses. Like 

 all the Collembola, they are quite incapable of being wetted by water, 

 and presumably the air entangled in their hairy covering suffices for 

 their wants until the tide goes do^vn again. 



When loojcing for marine creatures on the sl\ore of Rat Island 

 in the Albrohos, I turned over a stone and dislodged a small colony 

 of some species of Anurida, which floated up to the surface of the 

 water and then began hopping in various directions. I captured some 

 and put them in my collecting jar, but unfortunately they were imme- 

 diately attacked and devoured by some specimens of a Halobatid 

 water-skater which I had previously captured. 



The Symphypleona, or globular Collembola, are divided into two 

 families, one of which, the Neelidae, has only been found in Europe 

 and North America, whilst the other, the Sminthuridae, is world-wide 

 in its distribution. I have met with a number of species of these 

 curious little insects belonging to several genera. They are most often 

 yellow in colour, though frequently black. They live among grass or 

 on bushes, and are the most free-liviug of all the Collembola, which 

 as a group occur chiefly under bark or logs, or in damp soil. 



In considering the affinities of our Collembola we must notice 

 first that the Collembola of South Africa are almost unknown, 

 so that it must be dismissed from consideration. 



Of the four remaining regions the Holarctic contains abundant 

 representatives of the three chief families, whilst the few species of 

 Neelidae are peculiar to it. 



The Oriental region appears to be characterized by the great 

 scarcity of Sminthuridae and by the fact that Entomobryidae are 

 more plentiful than Poduridae. In South America also Sminthuridae 

 are few, but Poduridae are much more abundant than Entomobryidae, 

 In these respects the Antarctic region and sub-Antarctic islands agree 

 with the Neotropical region. 



In Australia as far as my preliminary observations go, Sminthu- 

 ridae appear to be numerous, whilst Entomobrvidae are perhaps 

 rather better represented than Poduridae. It would thus appear that 

 our Collembolan fauna is most like that of the Holarctic region, in the 

 number of Entomobryidae it approaches the Oriental, whilst in every 

 respect it seems to contrast strongly with that of South America. 



The very distinct blind genus Cyphoderus is the only one of whose 

 identification I can be sure, and this genus occurs throughout the world 

 except for South America, though it is found in the West Indies. 



It would thus appear that the Collembola and Thysanura of Aus- 

 tralia must have reached the continent at diflEerent times and by 

 different routes. The Thysanura are evidently one of the groups 

 which reached us by way of the Antarctic continent, but it must be 

 left for future work to decide on the real affinities of our Collembola. 



