50 PROCEEDINGS OF THE MALACOLOGICAL SOCIETl'. 



remaiuing two witli two Kennadec forms, and that the Lord Howe 

 forms do not occur at the Kermadecs, nor the Kermadec species at 

 Lord Howe. The result is that Norfolk Island has no peculiar or 

 remarkable species, and that the species occurring there are in no 

 way characteristic forms of tlie Neozelanic, Australian, or New 

 Caledonian Chiton faunas, but mereh' referable to non-characteristic 

 types. We have no knowledge of the Chiton fauna of the Fiji 

 group, and little of the New Caledonian fauna, so that as regards 

 Norfolk Island tlie Chiton fauna gives little clue to its zoogeographical 

 position, hut strongly negatives its association tvith New Zealand. The 

 Lord Howe Chiton fauna, though only six species are as yet known, 

 differs remarkably from the preceding two. The Neozdanic element is 

 completelji absent, whilst the peculiar species Acanthochites leuco7iotus, 

 Hedley & Hull, Ch. hotvemis, Hedley & Hull, and Onithochiton 

 discrepans, Hedley & Hull, again omitting the Lepidopleurus, wliich, 

 however, is peculiar, completely differentiate this fauna from anything 

 else. I have suggested that it is more nearly related to that of 

 New Caledonia, and I still feel that in that fauna the nearest relations 

 to the peculiar forms will be found. It is in no way related to the 

 Cbiton fauna of New Zealand. 



Hedley & Hull, from their criticism of the Polyplacophora of 

 Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands, conclude " The islands composing 

 the Lord Howe, Norfolk, and Kermadec groups are small in size. 

 Considering this, and the great distance of sea which intervenes 

 between them, it is remarkable how much their fauna basin common. 

 And here the Polyplacopliora repeat conclusions drawn not only from 

 the marine fauna in general, but also from the terrestrial fauna and 

 flora. Beyond this interisland affinity the fauna and flora next 

 express a kinship with those of New Zealand and New Caledonia. 

 Lastly, the neighbourhood of the Australian continent has made an 

 impression, especially on the nearer island ". I deeply regret that 

 I must disagree with some of my fi-iends' conclusions, but having 

 given prolonged study to this problem, and with more material than 

 my friends, the results are different. 



The Kermadec Islands as regards their fauna and flora must be 

 relegated to the New Zealand Biological Region, but they claim full 

 recognition as a separate province on account of the strong Polynesian 

 element present in both the land and marine fauna and the flora. 

 The relationship of the group to Norfolk Island is not marked as 

 regards either the fauna or flora when full consideration is given to 

 every detail. Thus, the marine faunas are very different in character, 

 whilst I have in another place dilated upon the extraordinary 

 dissimilarity of the terrestrial mollusca, which is borne out by the 

 study of other groups. 



Norfolk Island has little affinity with either Lord Howe or the 

 Kermadecs, and the presence of the (extinct) avian genera Nestor and 

 Semiphaga is the most remarkable zoological item. The value of 

 the existence of these two Neozelanic genera cannot be yet accurately 

 determined, but a criticism of the land molluscs shows that the 

 nearest land connexion of Norfolk Island seems to have been with 



