HuTTON. — On the Geographical Relations of the N.Z. Fauna. 239 



as New Zealand, while tlie whole of Polynesia is far away to the north, I 

 think the difference is not so great as might have been exj^ected,* The 

 distribution of the genus Ocydromus proves that land communication must 

 once have existed between New Zealand, Lord Howe Island, and New 

 Caledonia, but the absence of cockatoos, grass-paroquets, pigeons, night-jars, 

 and finches, indicates that this connection did not extend to Australia. With 

 the exception of Sphenceacus, which has very feeble powers of flight, all our 

 Australian birds could have crossed over a strait of considerable width. The 

 phenomena of the paroquets, starlings, and long-tailed cuckoo of Polynesia, 

 being associated in New Zealand with the honey-eaters, grass-bird, and gold- 

 cuckoo of Australia, indicate that New Zealand was connected wdth a tract 

 of land intermediate to both, but perhaps not connected with either ; at the 

 same time the absence of the more tropical Polynesian birds is no evidence, 

 that this tract of land did not extend into Polynesia, and in Zoster ops lateralis, 

 and Dendrocygna eytoni, both of which have appeared since Europeans came 

 into the colony, we have positive evidence that our islands can even now be 

 colonized from Australia by many kinds of birds, although 1,400 miles distant. 

 It would also appear that this transfer of birds to New Zealand took place 

 sufficiently long ago to allow of changes of generic value having taken place, 

 while the Chatham and Auckland Islands have been isolated from New 

 Zealand for a time sufficient only for changes of specific value. 



Reptilia. 



The Reptiles of New Zealand are not numerous. "We possess about eight 

 species of lizards, four of which belong to widely spread genera of the family 

 Scincidce, but the species are all endemic. Three others belong to the 

 Geckoidce, and form a genus (Naultinus) which is found nowhere else. Of 

 these one {N. pacificus) is said to be found in some of the Pacific Islands, but 

 the other two are peculiar to New Zealand. Our eighth species, the curious 

 tuatara {Sphenodon punctatum), which is now found only on a few rocky 

 islets in the Bay of Plenty, and near Tory Channel in Cook Strait, is placed 

 by Dr. Giinther in a separate order from all other lizards on account of the 

 affinity that it shows to the crocodiles. This remarkable form has no 

 copulatory organs, and has uncinate processes on its ribs like birds. It has 

 also nearly twice as many abdominal as true ribs, which protect the abdomen 

 when being dragged along the ground, for, like the crocodile, the hind legs are 

 too weak to support the hinder parts of the body. Dr. Giinther also suggests 

 that they may use them for locomotion, as snakes do. It is also remarkable 



* The distribution of the Megapodidce shows that Polynesia, Australia, the Indian 

 Archipelago as far as the Strait of Lombok, North-west Borneo, and the Philippine 

 Islands, were united before the spread of the Mammals. 



