president's address — SECTION D. 85 



which seems to indicate a curious relationship between these 

 southerly-lying- lands and to, at first sig'ht, lend colour to the 

 view held by Beddard that there must have been a northerly 

 movement of the genus from its original home in an 

 Antarctic continent. It will be of interest to determine 

 whether or not this form occurs in Tasmania and if, as seems 

 most probable, it does not, then it will be somewhat curious, 

 supposing this northward migration has taken place, that the 

 form has not reached Tasmania, seeing that it has reached 

 the three other southern land projections. At present its 

 absence from the south and east of Australia and presence 

 in the north and also in New Caledonia would seem to 

 indicate that a southern rather than a northern migration 

 has taken place along the ancient land connection between 

 New Zealand and Northern Australia, some barrier having 

 interposed to prevent its passing down the eastern side of the 

 continent. The present distribution of this, as of other 

 genera, is probably to be best explained by regarding it as 

 the remnant of a once more universal one and there is 

 probably no need to call in the aid of a hypothetical 

 Antarctic continent and a direct land connection between New 

 Zealand, S. America and S. Africa. 



Arthropoda. 



In the Arthropoda but few groups have been worked 

 out in sufficient detail to enable us to compare the fauna of 

 Tasmania with that of the mainland. Most attention has 

 naturally been paid to the Insecta, whilst the Arachnida and 

 Myriapoda stand much in need of careful investigation. 

 In the latter group it may be noted that one genus 

 (Henicops) is common to Tasmania, New Zealand and 

 ChiH. 



In the Prototracheata Fletcher has described the 

 occurrence of Peripatus leuchartii, which is at present 

 regarded as identical with the form found in Victoria, New 

 South Wales and Queensland. In Victoria a second species 

 is found (P. insignis), whilst New Zealand has a species 

 (P. nnv(E-zelandiceJ peculiar to itself. There is some slight 

 difference, however, between the Victorian and New South 

 Wales forms with regard to colour-markings and a more 

 important difference appears to exist in their manner of 

 reproduction. The New South Wales form is undoubtedly 

 viviparous, whilst there is good reason to think that the 

 Victorian form is oviparous. Dendy found that a Victorian 



