Section D. 



BIOLOGY.— THE FAUNA AND ZOOLOGICAL RELA- 

 TIONSHIPS OF TASMANIA. 



Address by the President, 

 W. BALDWIN SPENCER, M.A., 



Professor of Bioloi/i/ in flic Uii'n-crsify if Mclhounw. 



I AM venturing to submit to you to-day, at this the first 

 meeting of our Section in Tasmania, an Address which con- 

 sists mainly of a sumn)ary of the work of others and is an 

 attempt to indicate the present extent of our knowledge with 

 regard to the Fauna and Zoological relationships of Tasmania. 



Prominent amongst those who have investigated the Fauna 

 of the Island we may mention the names of Professor 

 Tate, Rev. J. Tenison-\^^Jods, Dr. Ramsay, Colonel Legge, 

 and Messrs. Morton Allport, Legrand, Cox, Brazier, 

 Masters, Johnston, and Petterd. To these we must add 

 that of Sir William Macleay, whose recent death has left 

 so great a blank amongst the biologists of Australasia and 

 whose work and generous encouiagement of biological studies 

 vrill long ))e gratefully remembered. To his efforts is due 

 the existence of what is undoubtedly the foremost scientific 

 society of Australasia — the Linnean Society of New South 

 Wales — in the journal of which have appeared so great a 

 number of valuable memoirs dealing especially with the 

 Zoology and Botany of Australasia. 



Whilst much has been done towards elucidating the natural 

 history of the various colonies much yet remains to be 

 accomplished, especially in regai-d to the lower groups of 

 animals. In this pa})er I shall deal simply with the teri'estrial 

 and freshwater forms and attempt, so far as I am able, to 

 bring together and summarise the results of different workers 

 in the varions groups. 



Of the Protozoa and Coelenterata we have no knowledge 

 whatever and of the Vermes but little. 



