BY J. J. FLETCHER. 481 



surface is a series of segmentally-arranged patches in which the 

 red colour is predominant" may be given as a character of the 

 species as it occurs in Victoria, it does not apply to the species 

 without qualification. Mr. Tryon speaking of Queensland speci- 

 mens says "the colour is very dark blue, almost black, with a 

 few rust-like specks here and there, and lighter coloured beneath ; 

 or dark fuscous, with a still darker line along the back." Three 

 very dark specimens given by Mr. Tryon to I)r. Haswell, which I 

 have had the opportunity of examining, may be briefly described 

 as follows: — 



As in the dark specimen from the Blue Mts. the red is entirely, 

 or almost so, confined to the papillte ; one shows primary papillse 

 (the basal or all but an apical portion) red on ridges alternating 

 with others on which there are more numerous secondary papillae 

 frequently entirely red, a number of them often occurring con- 

 secutively, with indicated but not very well defined lozenge-shaped 

 patches above the intervals between the legs : a second has fewer 

 secondary papillae red ; while the third has extremely little red 

 anywhere, and may very well be described in Mr. Tryon's words 

 as " very dark blue, almost black, with a few rust-like specks here 

 and there." Hence though in these there is certainly no very 

 striking indication of a pattern of longitudinal stripes, neither do 

 I see that such light coloured papillae as are present represent, or 

 have any relation to, segmentally-arranged diamond-shaped patches. 



It seems to me, therefore, no longer doubtful that constant specific 

 characters are not derivable from the pattern and coloration of P. 

 leuckarti ; and it is worthy of note how, as more material comes 

 to hand, specimens from widely distant areas sometimes are found 

 to present characteristic variations in these particulars, whereas 

 specimens from almost the same spot in other localities may 

 exhibit almost the extremes of variation, though it is possible 

 that in such cases bigger series of specimens would give grada- 

 tional forms also. 



When preparing his Monograph Mr. Sedgwick had for examina- 

 tion only two specimens of F leuckarti, one of each sex, both of 



