BY THOS. STEEL. 073 



80 far as I have been able to ascertain by refei-ence to litera- 

 ture, Dendy is the only observer so far who has noticed the 

 method of laying the egg-capsule. He describes the presence of 

 a large aperture in the back of a specimen of Geoplana triangulata, 

 Dendy, after the event (9, p. 116). Commenting on this, Graff 

 (12, pp- 239-240, footnote) merely remarks that he supposes we 

 have here to do with a rupture of the dorsal wall of the genital 

 atrium. 



The egg-capsule in some species attains large dimensions. I 

 have an example of that of G. Spenceri, Dendy, which is 10 by 

 7 mm. 



Although I have occasionally found egg-capsules laid in my 

 vivaria by captive specimens, I have not until recently been able 

 to confirm Dendy's observation on this curious habit. For the 

 opportunity of doing so I am indebted to Mr. H. Stuart Dove, of 

 Launceston, Tasmania, who sent me a fine specimen of G. Mortoni, 

 Dendy. When the specimen reached me it had just deposited 

 the capsule, which was still of a fresh brown colour. On the 

 dorsal surface of the worm, just behind the position of the 

 genital opening, was a rent or tear of the tissues through which 

 projected the peculiar comb-like lobes of the genital organs. 

 The protrusion of these shows that the dorsal wall of the genital 

 atrium is torn to permit of the exit of the capsule. 



PL xxxiv., fig. 10, shows the appearance of this interesting 

 specimen. The opening caused by the exit of the capsule appears 

 to heal very quickly, certainly within two or three days, as other- 

 wise I must have noticed it on other occasions. 



In writing to me regarding a specimen of G. Dovei, mihi, 

 which was about to deposit a capsule, Mr. Dove specialty 

 mentioned that the integument on the dorsal surface just over 

 the capsule was very tense and appeared ready to give way, and 

 other observers besides myself have noticed the same appearance. 

 From these facts and the obvious improbability of the large 

 capsule being able to make its exit through such a small passage 

 as the genital opening, I am inclined to think that Dendy's 



