068 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



impede traffic. In June of this year be read of a similar occurrence 

 at Sennheim near Mulhausen, the animals being described in the news- 

 papers as " Julus terrestris." Prof. Verhoetf obtained numerous speci- 

 mens from the Sennheim station-master, and learnt also that the delay- 

 to the traffic resulted, not, as currently reported, from the volume of the 

 animals, but from the fact that when crushed they rendered the rails so 

 slippery that the wheels would not grip. Verhoeff found that the 

 animals were in reality ScMzophyllum sabulosum, and were all sexually 

 mature. He believes that the swarming is due to over-population of 

 a special area. In consequence the females are unable to find suitable 

 spots in which to lay their eggs, and the migratory instinct, natural to 

 the ripe condition, is greatly intensified, the movement of the unfer- 

 tilised females leading to an equivalent movement among the males. 

 All the specimens studied were found to belong to the form typica. 



Genera Schendyla and Pectinunguis.* — Prof. Karl W. Verhoeff 

 -considers that these two genera should be united, as transitional stages 

 exist between the two conditions on which the generic distinction is 

 based (arrangement of the ventral pores). He thinks Pectinunguis 

 must lapse, and divides Schendyla into two sub-genera, Schendyla s. str. 

 iind Haploschendyla, according to the shape of the veutral plate and the 

 presence or absence of glands. 



Diplopoda of Switzerland.! — Dr. H. Bothenbiihler publishes a 

 second paper on this subject. The present paper gives first records for 

 Switzerland of various known forms, and describes several new species, 

 one of which falls into a new genus. The last-named, described as 

 Trimerophoron grypischium g. et sp. n., is based on a single male from 

 the Engadine, and belongs to the Chordeumidae. The genus is defined 

 chiefly by the characters of the gonopods. 



T- Protracheata. 



New Genus of Onychophora.J — Dr. Arthur Dendy proposes a new 

 genus, Ooperipatus, for the reception of three species described by bim, 

 O. cviparus, 0. insignis, 0. viridimaculatus, in all of which the genital 

 aperture of the female is placed at the end of a prominent ovipositor 

 which lies between the legs of the last pair. The legs have three 

 spinous pads. The above constitutes the generic definition; in addition 

 -all are probably oviparous, but this is uncertain in the case of 0. insignis. 



Species of Peripatus.§ — Prof. E. L. Bouvier has received from the 

 British Museum a further series of specimens of Peripatus, including 

 among others the collection of Jamaican forms. His observations lead 

 him to the conclusion that two species have been described under the 

 single name P. jamaicensis. Of these one should retain this name ; 

 this form occurs in two varieties, known respectively as mut. swainsonae 

 and mut. gossei. The other species, which has been confused with 

 the first-named mutation, is a variety of P.juliformis (var. gossei). 



* Zool. Anzcig., xxiii. (1900) pp. 483-6. 



t Rev. Suisse Zool., viii. (1900) pp. 1G7-92 (1 pi.). 



t Zool. Anzeig., xxiii. (1900) pp. 509-11. 



§ Quart. Journ. Micr. Sci., xliii. (1900) pp. 749-57. 



