BY J. J. FLETCHEK. 193 



exceptionally a little later, will very probaV)ly prove to be not very 

 wide of the mark. 



If the unusually ear]}' August young one referred to above was 

 developed from an ovum which passed into the oviduct about 

 the middle of Februar}- ; the October young from April ova ; 

 and the young born towards the end of April or early in May 

 from ova which left the ovaries in October or ISTovember preceding 

 — as may very well have been the case^then the period of 

 gestation is about six months; not less, probably a little more; 

 l)ut from 6-7 months will, I believe, prove to be a ver}^ close 

 approximation to the truth. 



The largest number of New Zealand Peripatus embryos met 

 with by Captain Hutton was 26 (18 + 8); by Mr. Sedgwick or 

 Miss Sheldon 18 (12 + 6). The largest number I have found in 

 our Peripatus is 53, in a female opened on November 21st. They 

 form a lineh^ gradational series of old embryos — the youngest 

 with claw-bearing legs, the proximal half dozen or so with pio-- 

 mented tentacles. Females with from 30-40 embryos or ova are 

 not uncommon in certain months.* Whether the contents of the 

 uteri show any ver}^ marked differences in the stages of de^ elop- 

 ment reached depends a good deal on circumstances. About the 

 time when the breeding season usually ends one may find females 

 containing a few old embryos not differing very noticeably, or 

 nothing, or a few old embryos together with a few ova which have 

 recently passed into the uteri, or only some of the latter. Still 

 later in the season one may find an increased number of young 

 embryos together with fresh ova. But my experience is that if 

 the contained series is a large one, as a rule it presents no very 

 abrupt ])reaks, but one gets a finely graduated series of old or of 



* On the other hand, when the supply of material has been short, and 

 small and therefore young specimens — possibly even commencing to breed 

 for the first time— have had to be utilised, the numbers have been very 

 small compared with what might be expected to occur in large examples 

 opened at the same time of year. In two such cases the numbers were only 

 two and one respectively. 

 N 



