BY THOS. STEEL. 565 



thinly sprinkled. Then there is a similar clear or partially dotted 

 space, and then a band of dots closely crowded together to form 

 a continuous margin. Eyes large, closely set in a crowded row 

 round anterior tip, then densely grouped at sides extending for 

 several mm. 



Length of spirit specimen 34 mm. by 4| mm. wide. Peri- 

 pharyngeal opening 14 mm. from tip; genital aperture not visible. 

 Another specimen 33 mm. long, also has the peripharyngeal 

 opening 14 mm. from tip. In two specimens which I believe to 

 be the young of this species, there is a dark dorso-median line 

 composed of aggregated speckles, and a dense black-brown broad 

 marginal band, the space between being uniformly sprinkled with 

 large speckles. Ventral surface is similar to that of the adult. 

 The length of these is 1 2 and 1 3 mm. respectively. 



Hah. — Near Perth, Western Australia; under chips and bark 

 (Mr. C. G. Hamilton). 



This species in shape resembles G. Fletcheri, Dendy, its section 

 and outline being very similar. 



Referring to the habitat of the above two species, Mr. Hamilton 

 writes me as follows : — 



" I cannot make out where they go in the dry season — with us 

 about 8 months. I suppose they must burrow into the sand, but 

 if so they must dig pretty deep, for the sand is quite hot and dry 

 for at least a couple of feet down in summer." 



This is a problem that has long puzzled me in common with 

 other observers of our land planarians. Knowing how intolerant 

 these creatures are of dry conditions when removed from their 

 lurking places, it is not easy to imagine how they contrive to 

 survive the baking to which the ground is subjected— to say 

 nothing of the disastrous bush fires — during the frequent long 

 periods of drought in Australia. 



Darwin (i, p. 242 ) collected species in La Plata and Chili living 

 under arid conditions in small earth chambers, and Dendy 

 (7> P 67) has noted the formation of earth cysts by Australian 

 land planarians, in which they remained completely enclosed. 



