267 



FURTHER NOTES ON THE OVIPARITY OF 



THE LARGER VICTORIAN PERIPATUS, GENERALLY 



KNOWN AS P. LEUGKARTII. 



By Arthur Dendy, D.Sc. 



(Communicated by Professor W. A. Hasweli.) 



My observations* on the oviparous habit of the larger Victorian 

 Peripatus (hitherto generally regarded as identical with the 

 Peripatus leicckartii of Sang.) have excited a good deal of hostile 

 criticism, chiefly emanating from the pen of Mr. J. J. Fletcher. 

 On three different occasions since the publication of my notes 

 Mr. Fletcher has brought the question before the Linnean Society 

 of New South Wales, and his remarks have been published (I do 

 not know whether in full or not) in the Abstracts of Proceedings 

 of the Society.! 



I have already replied to the earlier criticisms in a short paper 

 read at the Hobart Meeting of the Australasian Association for the 

 Advancement of Science, which will, I am informed, be published 

 shortly. Mr. Fletcher's latest observations, however, compel me 

 to return to the question, and I am the more willing to do so as I 

 have some further information to communicate in support of my 

 views. 



The object of Mr. Fletcher's latest contribution to the literature 

 of the subject is explained in the opening paragraph, which runs 

 as follows : — "This paper is a reply to certaia views expressed by 

 Dr. Dendy with regard to the repi'oduction of the New South 



* Proc. Roy. Soc. Victoria for 1891, p. 31 ; "Nature," September 17, 

 1891 ; and " Zoologischer Anzeiger," No. 380, 1891. 



t September 30, 1891 ; February 24, 1892 ; April 27, 1892. 



