ii6 Memoirs of the Indian Museum. [Voi,. I, 



have to clear the whole mass, to sift it and separate the peregrine forms from the 

 endemic ones. 



The peregrine forms are indicated in the above list by their localities being 

 printed in ordinary (roman) type in the second column, as well as the doubtful 

 forms from which they may be distinguished by the statement of their further dis- 

 tribution in the third column, or by the note " peregrine " in the fourth column. As 

 is natural, the tropical genera prevail among the peregrine forms, especially the easily 

 spread species of the phyletically youngest and most energetic genera Pheretima and 

 Dichogaster. Besides these, we find widely spread in the tropical zone the circum- 

 mundane species Nematogenia panamaensis (EISEN), Eudrilus eugenics (KINB.) and 

 Pontoscolex corethrurus (Fr. MÜLL-), as well as some less widely distributed wanderers 

 characteristic of the Indian and Oriental region, viz., Lampito mauritii (KINB.) and 

 Perionyx excavatus (E. PERR.). Other species are peregrine in a less degree, in part 

 not yet denying their original p atria and being spread only within our region (for 

 instance Drawida willsi, MICHI^SN., and Eutyphoeus orientalis (Bedd.), in part having 

 intruded into neighbouring regions (for instance Drawida burchardi, MICHLSN., and 

 Perionyx sansibaricus , MICHLSN.). 



A somewhat smaller proportion of the peregrine Oligochaetes of our list is of nor- 

 therly origin, belonging to the family Lumbricidcs and being endemic in the moderate 

 zone of the northern hemisphere. It is very characteristic that these forms of 

 northern origin are prevalent in the higher regions of the Himalayas. Only a few 

 species of these are found in South India, and here also in the mountainous higher 

 regions, viz., in the Nilgiri and Palni Hills. 



The endemic forms of terrestrial genera are distinguished in the above list by 

 the localities in the second column being printed in thicker (antique) type, and the 

 further original distribution of those genera which have endemic species in our region 

 is marked by a thicker type in the third column. A first glance into the second column 

 enables us to sift out the groups of terrestrial Oligochaetes which are characteristic of 

 our region. These endemic species form three groups of very different size and corres- 

 ponding to three different families, namely the Moniligastridœ, the Megascolecidce 

 and the Lumbricidœ, the last being represented by a single apparently endemic spe- 

 cies but the Megascolecidce being in general prevalent. 



Family Lumbriddae. — This family has a great number of endemic species in 

 the southern parts of Europe from Portugal to South Russia and in the adjacent 

 parts of Asia, viz., in Asia Minor, Transcaucasia, Palestine, Syria, Persia (Farsistan and 

 Chusistan at the northern end of the Persian Gulf) and Turkistan. Beside these, 

 there are some outposts endemic in countries apparently rather far distant from 

 this region, viz., some species [e.g., Eisenia löunbergi (MICHLSN.)] in the eastern parts 

 of North America (the dominion of the megascolecid sub-family Diplocardince) and 

 one species [Helodrilus japonicus (MICHLSN.)] in Japan belonging to the dominion 

 of the Malayan genus Pheretima. The single Indian species, Helodrilus (Bimastus) 

 indicus, MICHLSN., from Calcutta, must be regarded as another outpost. Indeed, 

 the limit of the proper dominion of the Lumbricidœ, extending between South Persia 



