622 ZOOLOGY SECT. 



which owes its existence to human agency; in comparing the 

 faunae of any two countries, the latter element must of course be 

 carefully eliminated. 



The contrast between our two selected countries is further 

 emphasised when we compare the fauna of each with that of the 

 nearest continental area the fauna of Great Britain with that of 

 the continent of Europe, the fauna of New Zealand with that of 

 Australia, 



With the exception of the Red Grouse (Lagopus scoticus) perhaps 

 the Coal Tit (Parus britannicus), and the Long-tailed Tit (Parus 

 rosea), and some fifteen species of fresh-water Fishes, the British 

 Vertebrates are all found on the European continent. On the 

 other hand, there are many European species of Mammals, Birds, 

 Reptiles, Amphibians, and Fishes which do not occur in Great 

 Britain. The British fauna may, in fact, be described as an 

 isolated and somewhat impoverished section of the general 

 European fauna. 



Now contrast New Zealand with Australia. Of the two New 

 Zealand Bats, one (Chalinolobus morio) occurs also in Australia, the 

 other (Mysiacina tuberculata) is endemic, that is, found nowhere 

 else. Australia, instead of having a Mammalian fauna com- 

 prising only two Bats and a doubtful Rat, possesses a large 

 number of characteristic Mammals, all except the Bats, Rats, and 

 Mice, and the Dingo (Canis dingo) being either Monotremes or 

 Marsupials. Out of about 200 species of New Zealand Birds, 

 fully 100 are endemic; of the rest only about 50 are found in 

 Australia. Conversely Australia has a large number of charac- 

 teristic Birds, belonging to families wholly unrepresented in 

 New Zealand, such as the Birds of Paradise and Bower Birds (Par- 

 adiseidce), Cockatoos (Cacatuidce), Mound-makers (Megapodiidce), 

 the Lyre-Bird (Menura), the Emu. and the Cassowary. Among Rep- 

 tiles, Sphenodon, i.e., the entire order Rhynchocephalia, is endemic 

 in New Zealand, as also is the little Gecko Naultinus, while a 

 small genus of Lizards, Lygosoma, is common to the two countries. 

 Australia, on the other hand, besides possessing a large number of 

 Lizards, such as the Monitors, is remarkable for the great number 

 of its Snakes, a group quite unrepresented in New Zealand, and 

 has two species of Crocodiles and several of Chelonia. Among 

 Fishes, the presence of Ceratodus in Australia is specially 

 remarkable. The fresh -water Crayfishes of each country are 

 endemic, those of New Zealand belonging to the genus Paranephrops, 

 those of Australia to Astacopsis and Engmus. The majority of the 

 Australian Earthworms belong to the familes Perichcctidce and 

 Cryptodrilida:, the latter including the Giant Earthworm of 

 Gippsland (Mcgascolides) ; the Megascolecidas are represented, but 

 are not dominant, as in New Zealand. 



