HABITS. 567 



a foot. The slime, which appears to be perfectly harmless, is 

 extremely sticky, but it easily comes away from the skin of the 

 animal itself. Hutton describes the New Zealand species as using 

 this apparatus for the capture of prey. It appears also to be used 

 as a defensive weapon. They will turn their heads to any part 

 of the body which is being irritated and violently discharge their 

 slime at the offending object. Locomotion is effected entirely 

 by means of the legs, with the body fully extended. 



Of their food in the natural state we know little ; but it is 

 probably mainly, if not entirely, animal. Hutton describes his 

 specimens as sucking the juices of flies which they had stuck 

 down with their slime, and Steel describes their consumption of 

 woodlice, termites, etc. Those kept in captivity eagerly devour 

 the entrails of their fellows, and the developing young from the 

 uterus. They also like raw sheep's liver. They move their 

 mouths in a suctorial manner, tearing the food with their jaws. 

 They have the power of extruding their jaws from the mouth, 

 and of working them alternately backwards or forwards. This 

 is readily observed in individuals immersed in water. They do 

 not eat one another, nor do they attack their young even when 

 kept without food. They are often found together and appear 

 to live in perfect harmony. They are exceedingly local in their 

 occurrence and are rarely found in numbers. They cast their 

 skin at irregular intervals and the moulted cuticle is often eaten. 

 When kept in captivity they will creep at night through the 

 smallest aperture and so escape. 



Breeding. Almost all species are viviparous, but one or two 

 of the Australasian species are normally oviparous and lay eggs 

 with a sculptured shell. All Australasian species come near to 

 laying eggs, inasmuch as the eggs are large, full of yolk, and 

 enclosed in a shell ; but, excepting the species referred to, 

 development takes place in the uterus, though, abnormally, 

 incompletely developed eggs are extruded. 



The young of P. capensis are born in April and May. They 

 are almost colourless at birth, excepting the antennae, which are 

 green, and their length is 10 to 15 mm. A large female will 

 produce thirty to forty young in one year. The period of gesta- 

 tion is thirteen months, that is to say, the ova pass into the 

 oviducts about one month before the young of the preceding year, 

 all of which are practically of the same age, are born. They are 



