PATAGONIA AND NEW ZEALAND 425 



Professor Kolbe contributes a careful review of the subject 

 from the point of view of the beetles (Coleoptera). After 

 illustrating the intimate relationship that exists between 

 southern South America ajjd the Australian region, by means 

 of the distribution of some of the Carabidae, Lucanidae, Scara- 

 baeiidae, Buprestidae, Elateridae and other families of beetles, 

 he comes to the conclusion that an Antarctic Continent mu^t 

 have existed in early Tertiary times. Professor Kolbe* be- 

 lieves that this continent was joined to the southern parts of 

 South America, New Zealand and Australia, and that some 

 genera passed from the latter to America, whilst others 

 travelled in the opposite direction. Although the affinities 

 of South Africa and Madagascar with South America and 

 Australia are much less pronounced. Professor Kolbe never- 

 theless urges that these countries, too, were to some extent 

 • connected by land with the Antarctic Continent. 



Dr. Arldtf recently gave us an excellent summary of the 

 most striking points in favour of the theory that southern 

 South America and the Australian region were once con- 

 nected by means of an Antarctic Continent. The theory meets 

 with his entire approval, but he concurs with Professor 

 Hutton and others in the belief that a second means of com- 

 munication between Australia and South America was fur- 

 nished by a mid-Pacific land bridge. 



Finally, Professor Chiltonj: reviewed the problem from the 

 point of view of New Zealand and the neighbouring sub- 

 antarctic islands and their fauna and flora. His conclusions 

 are strongly in favour of a former land connection by way of 

 the Antarctic Continent between South America and New 

 Zealand. 



1 have still to state my own opinion on this subj eot. That 

 there was some kind of a direct land connection between Chile 

 and New Zealand and Australia appears to me obvious. The 

 strongest arguments in its favour are supplied by the distri- 

 bution of the fresh-water mussels and the fresh-water cray- 

 fishes. The genus Diplodon, one of the Unionidae, inhabits 



' Kolbe, H., " Coleopteren der Magalhaensisohen Sammelreise," 

 pp. 19 — .30 (compare also "Die Siidpolarkontineiittheorie "). 

 f Aildt, Th., " Bedeutung der Antarktis," p. 370. 

 t Chilton, C, " Biological Eelations of Sub-antarctic Islands," p. 806. 



