CH. Ill] EARTHWORMS OF MAURITIUS AND RODRIGUEZ. 181 



The bulk of the old world genera of Geoscolicidae are 

 Oriental ; and it may be fairly said that Kynotus is at 

 least as nearly allied to them as it is to the African genera. 

 Another possibly important piece of evidence to be 

 derived from this group of animals is the existence in the 

 Seychelles of a species, which I have dissected and cannot 

 distinguish from the Oriental Megascolex armatus, already 

 referred to. But this worm, if truly indigenous, indicates 

 obviously a migration from India. In the Mauritius and 

 in Rodriguez are species of the characteristically Oriental 

 genus Pericfweta, which are not unfortunately thoroughly 

 well known anatomically, but in one instance, Perichceta 

 rdbusta from Mauritius, are probably distinct species. I 

 have described Perichceta mauritiana from • the same 

 island, which is certainly not identical with any known 

 and adequately described species. There are thus some 

 facts to be drawn from this group of animals not 

 unfavourable to " Lemuria." 



But the most striking evidence perhaps is geological 

 and palaeontological. This evidence I again abstract from 

 Mr Blanford's address to the Geological Society. It 

 comprises evidence derived from several distinct periods of 

 the PalsBozoic and Mesozoic epochs, and is therefore not 

 by any means so " fragmentary " as has been alleged. It 

 is pointed out that in carboniferous times there was a 

 great resemblance between the plant faunas of Australia, 

 India and South Africa. With this correspondence was a 

 great difference from the flora of Europe. Supposing this 

 flora to have been transported across the sea, there would 

 of course be no use in invoking the presence of what Prof. 



