362 NOTES ON AUSTRALIAN LAND-PLANARIANS, 



" Entire body of a dark Prussian blue colour somewhat ligliter 

 on the under surface of the body and with a single, narrow, 

 mesial, dorsal, longitudinal stripe of white. Length, 5 cm. ; 

 extreme breadth, 4 mm. Mouth central ; generative aperture 

 8 mm. posterior to mouth " (Moseley). 



nab. — Sydney, Parramatta, Ryde, Spring wood, Mt. Wilson, 

 Hunter River, N.S.W. ; Cairns, N. Queensland. 



The specimens of this planarian that we usually find, when 

 alive have the immediate anterior extremity for a short distance 

 orange-red, darker towards the tip ; in such cases the eyes are readily 

 visible with a lens ; the colour more or less completely disappears 

 in spirit. Quite recently, however, on three difFei-ent occasions we 

 have found on the pavement in Hyde Park alongside the enclosure 

 at Captain Cook's statue a number of blue planarians (about four- 

 teen altogether), which are without the red tip, and in which the 

 median stripe varies from a dirty white to a distinct yellow, 

 changing to white in spirit. In these the eyes on the anterior 

 extremity against the dark-blue background are only readily visible 

 under a low objective, and in living specimens. The enclosure 

 referred to has probably been stocked with these planai'ians 

 from the Botanic Gardens, but we do not know from what 

 locality. The differences in living specimens in the two cases 

 seem to be constant, and are sufficiently marked to make one a 

 variety of the other, if not to separate them as distinct species. 

 In spirit specimens, however, the difference is sometimes imper- 

 ce|)tible, and we do not know whether Mr. Moseley examined 

 both or not. As Mr. Moseley does not mention the red tip, and 

 we have not had the specimens without it (with a single exception 

 among the material given us by Mr. Masters) from anywhere but 

 the Park, we are not even sure which of them ought to be con- 

 sidered the tyi)ical form. From its common occurrence we should 

 suppose the former, with the addition to the description of the 

 reference to the brightly coloured anterior tip. 



When alive and looked at from above in both cases two tints of 

 blue are visible, just the lateral portions of the body being of a 

 lighter colour. 



