407 
and Ophiomyxa brevirima, known to occur only in the New Zealand 
region. The genera Ophionereis and Ophiomyxa being very widely 
distributed, these two species are of no importance for indicating 
zoogeographical relations between New Zealand and other regions 
(Australia, S. Africa, S. America). On the other hånd there are 
some other genera represented by nearly related species in New 
Zealand and Australia, viz. Ophiocoma bollonsi—canaliculata, Nectria 
ocelligera — pedicelligera, Comanthus trichoptera—benhami. These again 
bear important testimony of a former doser relation between the 
two regions. 
This former doser connection between Australia and New Zea¬ 
land indicated by the Echinoderm fauna of the two regions is easily 
explained through the Continental drift theoryofWegener, 
according to which New Zealand was originally directly connected with 
Australia, forming the Eastern border of the great Australian Con¬ 
tinental block, from which it was then separated through Australia 
drifting away from it.^) It is of very great interest that this hypo- 
thesis, which solves so many zoogeographical riddles in the most 
surprisingly clear way, thus gets support also from the study of 
the New Zealand Echinoderm fauna. At least it seems hardly 
possible to give any other satisfactory explanation of the correspon- 
dence of the New Zealand and the Australian Echinoderm faunas, 
unless the comparative study of the fossil Echinoderms of the two 
countries should give another natural explanation. 
Professor H. L. Hawkins is at present engaged on an invest- 
igation of the Tertiary Echinoidea of New Zealand. His work has 
not been carried far as yet, but he has almost completed the study 
of the Regular forms. He has very kindly allowed me to publish 
the following note, laying emphasis on its provisional character: 
Note. 
Up to the present time the published accounts of the Fossil 
Echinoidea of New Zealand are almost worthless. The only excep- 
tion is the description of five species given by Zittel in 1864 
(Novara Exped., Geol. Teil., Bd. i, Abt. ii, pp. 62 66). The diag¬ 
noses given by Hutton in his Catalogue are useless without the 
h Alfred Wegener. Die Entstehung der Continente und Ozeane. 3. 
Aufl. 1922. p. 46. 
