BY J. J. FLETCHER. 191 



I should think the New Zealand Peripatus is not widely different 

 in this respect from ours. 



I have examined females of the common Peripatus of New 

 Wales at intervals during the greater part of the year. There 

 are still a few^ important blanks in my series when certain details 

 are wanted, which I hope soon to be able to fill. I shall, there- 

 fore, postpone a full consideration. But I have seen enough to 

 show the general trend of matters. 



Of the first lot of specimens I ever had, one specimen was kept 

 from June 16th to the last week in October : a few days before 

 her death she produced four young ones. In July an embryo 

 which had about half completed its development was removed 

 from another female of the same batch, and preserved by 

 Professor Haswell. I still have this specimen. 



In 1892 I had specimens under observation from April until 

 the following March; the first 3^oung one was noted on November 

 11th. 



In 1893 I got a fine series in the last week of July. A single 

 unusually early young one was noticed on August 15th. A few 

 others were noticed on September 22nd. By November the 

 females were breeding freely, sixty young ones being noted on 

 November 22nd. From 15th-18th of August seventeen females 

 of this batch in process of being drowned extruded 83 young 

 embryos (from 1-14 each) : these vary slightly in age, and com- 

 prise specimens at about the same stage, and also at a little more 

 advanced stage, than the New Zealand embryo figured by Miss 

 Sheldon (Studies, Yol. iv. PL xxvi. figs. 25-26) ; that is to say, 

 the longitudinal ridge along each side of the body from which the 

 appendages take their origin, shows rudiments of from about half 

 a dozen pairs to nearly the full number. During the following 

 week three females were opened; they contained 23, 30 and 37 

 very similar stages, together with j^ounger ones and a few ova. 

 In the first week in October five females of the same lot when 

 being drowned extruded eight embryos; these are much more 

 advanced than those extruded six weeks earlier, the full number 

 of claw-l)earing legs being present. The following week two 



