BY J. J. FLETCHER. 195 



a newly liatched specimen of an oviparous Australian Peripatus, 

 nor did he know of a single instance in which young had ever hatched 

 from eggs laid by such an animal — it certainly is very wonderful 

 that on July 31st, 1891, Dr. Dendy should not only imagine him- 

 self to be, but in four different Journals should po.se as, the sole 

 repository of all human knowledge, the infallible source of all 

 wisdom on the subject of the mode of reproduction of the common 

 widely distributed Australian Peripatus with fifteen pairs of 

 walking legs, known as P. leuckartii ; especially as that knowledge 

 and wisdom included such items as that — leaving the local Vic- 

 torian P. insignis out of consideration, nothing having as yet been 

 ascertained about its mode of reproduction — there is no viviparous 

 Australian Peripatus, that the young of the oviparous P. leuckartii 

 are hatched at the end of October from eggs laid in the preceding 

 July, thus completing their development in something like thrf^e 

 or four months. And while no objections need at present be 

 raised against Dr. Dendy's claim on the score of the excessive 

 modesty and the imposing masterfulness implied thereby, very 

 solid objection to it can be raised on the ground that it does not 

 represent quite accurately the present state of anybody's knowledge 

 about any known Australian species of Peripatus whether in New 

 South Wales, Queensland, or Victoria. 



And as, on the subject of Peripatus, I followed so safe a guide 

 as Moseley, and called a pregnant specimen one which on dissection 

 proved to be pregnant ; or spoke of tlie young of a viviparous 

 animal as having been born, it is not evident what there is about 

 such a proceeding savouring of imposture, or perversion of the 

 truth, that one's statements should, without inquiry or investiga- 

 tion, be deemed unwoi^thy of credence. If such statements appeared 

 to Dr. Dendy to be incompatible with truth, it would have been a 

 simple and a courteous matter to have sent me a note of inquiry 

 as to what I really did mean : such at least would not have been 

 the first communication with which in the past he has favoured 

 me on the subject of Peripatus ; it would have received 

 due attention, and within twenty-four hours he would have 

 learned that, however little might have been known about the 

 mode of reproduction of the N.S.W. Peripatus before July 31st 



