!12 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. III. No. 61. 



plore the mainland, it may be predicted, 

 judging by what we Icnow of the inverte- 

 brate land fauna of Kergueleu Island, that 

 one or two Lumbricoid worms, a terrestrial 

 mollusc, one or two species of spiders, sev- 

 eral species of acarina, and of Collembolaj 

 a few species of Coleoptera, Lepidoptera 

 and Diptera (including perhaps a mosquito) , 

 and possibly some species of parasitic Hy- 

 menoptera, will be found to constitute the 

 land invertebrate fauna. 



Should any flowering plants ever be dis- 

 covered, there will probably be added to the 

 list a few of the higher moths,' and possibly 

 a butterfly, a bumble bee or two, and a few 

 muscids, which in the high Arctic regions 

 visit flowers. As there are no land birds or 

 indigenous mammals, nor so far as we know 

 any summer migrant birds, such insects if 

 present should abound in individuals, there 

 being no larger animals to reduce their 

 numbers. 



We may now proceed to enumerate the 

 terresti'ial fauna of Kerguelen Island, the 

 nearest region of whose land invertebrates 

 we know anything. 



Vermes. Family Lumbriculidae. 

 Aeanthodrilus Kerguelensis Lankester. (In- 

 habiting fresh water streams or pools ?) 



MOLLUSOA. 



Helix hooheri Pfr. 



Aeachnida. 



Myro Kerguelensis Cambridge. Tents nu- 

 merous under large stones. 



Acarus, two species, a red mite on the leaf 

 stalks of the Kerguelen cabbage ; and a 

 yellow species abounding on the sides of 

 rocks frequented by cormorants. (Also 

 bird-mites, mallophaga, on marine birds.) 



Insecta. Collembola. 

 Tullbergia antarctica Lubbock, in moss. 

 Isotoma sp. 

 Smynthurus sp. under stones. 



Coleoptera. 

 Rhyncophora or weevils' six species, also 

 a Staphylinid {Phytosus atrieeps). These 

 occurred in moss or under stones. Kidder 

 states that " most of the species were in- 

 capable of flight, their wing-cases being 

 soldered together." Some of the largest 

 forms were good fliers, however, " the largest 

 and most brilliantly colored specimen taken 

 having flown into my hut one night, at- 

 tracted by thelight." Besides these " little 

 black beetles were caught on rocks near the 

 sea and about the roots of wet tufts of 

 moss." They belong to the genus Octhe- 

 bius, of the aquatic family Helophoridse. 



Lepidoptera. 

 Dr. Kidder captured " two lepidopterous 

 insects of moderate size, with very imper- 

 fect and abbreviated wings, active in their 

 movements." Mr. Eaton found quite a 

 number of larvte and pupse of a small noc- 

 turnal moth, remarkable for the extreme 

 brevitj'^ of the second pair of wings. He 

 names it Emhryonopsis haltieella. 



Diptera. 



Besides Musea canicularis Linn., a cos- 

 mopolitan species, six species of flies be- 

 longing to new genera, four of which have 

 vestigial wings, are characteristic of this 

 island, and are of peculiar interest. 



Dr. Kidder remarks of three of the 

 genera of wingless flies that they counter- 

 feited death when in danger. The carrion 

 feeder (Anatalanta aptera Eaton) has no 

 vestige of either wings or balances (hal- 

 teres) . 



The leaf feeders ( Calycopteryx mosleyi 

 Eaton), found on the leaves of the Ker- 

 guelen cabbage, resembled large black ants, 

 as they were active in their movements, 

 dark brown, with long legs. The wings 

 are reduced to small scales. 



" The third genus {Amalopteryx maritima 

 Eaton) was discovered on wet rocks at the 



