BY THOS. STEEL. 101 



Peripatus is a very sociable creature. They do not molest one 

 another, and love to crowd together in congenial lurking-places. 

 I have often observed several of them around one insect feeding 

 in perfect harmony. 



Although they will readily feed on dead insects, I have not 

 been able to induce them to eat raw or cooked meat. Occasionally 

 one will after a long examination pull at the meat for a little 

 while with its jaws, but very soon leaves it. 



The skin is cast at apparently somewhat irregular intervals, but 

 I have not observed how often. The earliest casting which I 

 have noticed was in the case of young ones born in captivitj', 

 which shed the skin when between one and two weeks old. The 

 skin splits along the median dorsal furrow, and is gradually 

 worked off by expansive and contractile movements of the 

 animal, the front end being first worked forward out of the skin 

 and then the whole gradually crumpled off in a very perfect state, 

 including that of the antennae, feet, and appendages. The exuvite 

 are pure white, the colour pigment being situated entirely in the 

 inner skin layer which remains. 



During the shedding of the skin, the operation is frequently 

 assisted by the animal bending round and pulling at it with its 

 jaws, and as soon as it is cast the skin is often eaten, being taken 

 up by the mouth, worked about for a little while by the jaws, 

 and then swallowed entire. 



By watching the creatures I have been able to secure several speci- 

 mens of the cast skins, and with a little careful floating on water 

 have uncrumpled them and caused them to spread out to their full 

 extent, when the}^ form a very delicate and beautiful object. 

 Examples of these, both young and adult, are amongst the 

 specimens exhibited. The young appear to be usually born fully 

 extended, but at times doubled up in a thin membrane I am 

 not sure, however, that in the latter case the birth is not 

 somewhat premature. However, the newly-born young soon 

 crawl about, though they generally remain about the mother for 

 .several days. When born they are nearly white, but the colour 



