ciiAr. XXI.] 



Is'EW ZEALAND. 



445 



{ScotopJiihiS tuherculcUiis) is, according to Mr. Dobson, identical 

 with an Australian form, while the other {Mijstacina kcbermlata) 

 forms a very remarkable and isolated genus of Emballonuridse, 

 a family which extends throughout all the tropical regions of 

 the globe. The genus Mystacina was formerly considered to 

 belong to the American Phyllostomidse, but this has been 

 shown to be an error. ^ The poverty of New Zealand in bats 

 is very remarkable when compared with our own islands where 

 there are at least twelve distinct species, though having a far 

 less favourable climate. 



Of the existence of truly indigenous land mammals in New 

 Zealand there is at present no positive evidence, but there is 

 some reason to believe that one if not two species may be found 

 there. The Maoris say that before Europeans came to their 

 country a forest-rat abounded and was largely used for food. 

 They believe that their ancestors brought it with them when 

 they first came to the country ; but it has now become almost, if 

 not quite, exterminated by the European brown rat. What 

 this native animal was is still somewhat doubtful. Several 

 specimens have been caught at different times which have been 

 declared by the natives to be the true Kio7r. Maori — as they term 

 it, but these have usually proved on examination to be either 

 the European black rat or some of the native Australian rats 

 w^hich now often find their way on board ships. But within 

 the last few years many skulls of a rat have been obtained from 

 the old Maori cooking-places, and from a cave associated with 

 moa bones ; and Captain Hutton, who has examined them, states 

 that they belong to a true Mus, but differ from the Mus mttus. 

 This animal might have been on the islands when the Maoris 

 first arrived, and in that case would be truly indigenous ; while 

 the Maori legend of their ancestors " bringing the rat from their 

 Polynesian home may be altogether a myth invented to account 

 for its presence in the islands, because the only other land 

 mammal which they knew — the dog — was certainly so brought. 

 The question can only be settled by the discovery of remains 



^ Dobson on the Classification of Cliiroptera {Ann. and Mag. of Nafi 

 Hkt. Nov. 1875). 



