  We discuss the morphology and kinematics of the HI of a sample of 30 southern
gas-rich early-type galaxies selected from the
  HI Parkes All-Sky Survey (HIPASS). This is the largest collection of
high-resolution HI data of a homogeneously selected sample. Given the
sensitivity of HIPASS, these galaxies represent the most HI-rich early-type
galaxies. In two-thirds of the galaxies, we find the HI to be in a large,
regular disk- or ring-like structure that in some cases is strongly warped. In
the remaining cases we find the HI distributed in irregular tails or clouds
offset from the galaxy. The giant, regular HI structures can be up to ~200 kpc
in diameter and contain up to 10^10 M_sun of HI. The incidence of irregular HI
structures appears to be somewhat higher in elliptical galaxies, but the large,
regular structures are observed in both elliptical and S0 galaxies and are not
strictly connected to the presence of a stellar disk. If these two types of
galaxies are the result of different formation paths, this is not strongly
reflected in the characteristics of the HI. The size and the regular kinematics
of the HI structures imply that the neutral hydrogen must have settled in these
galaxies several Gyr ago. Merging as well as gas accretion from the IGM are
viable explanations for the origin of the gas in these galaxies. The average
column density of the HI is low so that little star formation is expected to
occur and these early-type galaxies can remain gas rich for very long periods
of time. The large HI structures likely represent key structures for tracing
the origin and evolution of these galaxies.
