BY J. J. FLETCHER. 189 



Demonstrator of Biology, Sydney University, ver}^ kindly section- 

 ised for me. Tlie legs did not all cut in an equally satisfactory 

 manner; but allowing for this, beyond a large pair of crural 

 glands in the two papilla-bearing legs, I can see no indication of 

 their presence in the others. I have not seen any specimen with 

 papillcie on the legs of the last pair only. When papillae are 

 present on the legs of the last pair they are situated nearer the 

 base of the leg than in the case of the others. This, however, is 

 because the legs of the fifteenth pair are shorter, and consequently 

 have fewer transverse papilla-bearing ridges. The papillae still 

 occupy the normal portion — namely, on about the fifth papilla- 

 bearing ridge above the innermost spinous pad. 



In a previous paper (P.L.S.N.S.W. 2nd Ser. v. p. 484) I referred 

 to the presence in some females of longitudinal slit-like depressions 

 or pores situated a little below the nephridiopores, and suggestive 

 of rudiments or relics of crural glands. They are not, however, 

 the representatives of the crural glands of the males, for I now 

 have specimens of the latter, both with numerous crural papilliTe and 

 with only one pair which show the same character. In the males 

 they are situated between the nephridiopore and the papilla when 

 present, or the position it would occupy if present. Occasionally, 

 even in the females, a little white coagulated secretion is left in 

 the aperture. Unless these represent a second series of crural 

 glands which were possessed by both sexes, but are now becoming 

 more or less aborted, I do not at present know what they can be. 



The ova are large, and have a considerable amount of yolk. 

 As in P. capensis, the egg-shell is a thin transparent membrane; 

 not a thick chitinous covering as in P. novcE-zealandicE, and in the 

 larger Victorian Peripatus. 



There is some difference in detail in respect of the breeding 

 habits of the New Zealand Peripatus and that of New South 

 Wales as known to me; and in neither case is it so easy, as in 

 that of P. capensis, to fix definitely the length of the period of 

 gestation, or the exact limits of the breeding season; and, I should 

 imagine, for a similar reason. 



