178 J. MURRAY 



The relation of the Canadian Tardigrade Fauna to that of other regions is shown 

 in the following figures. Canada has 16 species which occur also in Europe, 14 in 

 Australia, 14 in the Arctic, 8 in the Pacific Islands, New Zealand, and Asia, 9 in 

 Africa, 7 in the Antarctic, and 6 in S. America. From these figures it would seem 

 as if the relation with Europe were closest, and with S. America most distant, but it 

 is scarcely necessary to point out that these figures probably indicate the condition 

 of our knowledge of the different regions rather than the real affinities. Of course, 

 since the part of Canada explored, and the part of Europe of which the Tardigrada 

 are best known, are both in the north temperate zone, we might expect, and there 

 may really be, a close affinity between the Tardigrada of the two regions. The 

 occurrence of seven species in Canada which are as yet unknown in Europe suggests 

 that the affinity is not very close. No confirmation of this can be drawn from the 

 large number of European species which are unknown in Canada, as Canada is an 

 almost unexplored country. 



In Canada the productiveness of British Columbia in relation to the other districts 

 visited is very striking. All the collecting was hurriedly done, in Victoria no less 

 than elsewhere, yet the moss from the sea-shore there yielded sixteen out of the 

 twenty-three species noted for Canada. 



