J. R. WARD ON PERIPATUS MOSELEYI. 427 



a few fresh pieces of moss put into the boxes furnished sufficient 

 insects for all requirements of food supply ; but when the dry- 

 weather set in and insects became scarce, some other diet had to 

 be provided, and recourse was had to small pieces of fresh beef, 

 which appeared to be satisfactory ; for, although never able to see 

 exactly how the creatures fed — they apparently ate the softer 

 portions only of the flesh and on this they seemed to thrive. One 

 specimen having been given away, there were three in each box 

 up to the end of March ; but about that time one from each 

 box unaccountably disappeared, and what became of these still 

 remains a mystery : it was, however, suggested that two who 

 appeared to live on specially intimate terms, finding the society of 

 the third to be irksome, had killed and eaten him as the most 

 effectual and economical method of relieving themselves of the 

 company of ' one too many ' ; but it is only fair to say that in 

 this instance no conclusive evidence can be adduced to convict 

 them of the double crime of murder and cannibalism. The 

 remaining two in each box were obviously pairs, the larger and 

 lighter-coloured individuals being the females ; and the interest 

 already taken in them was much increased by the discovery, on 

 April 10th, that one of these was accompanied by two young 

 ones, whilst on the 14th her family had increased to five, and on 

 the 17th to ten, at which number it remained. The large yellow 

 female in the other box was found to have five young ones with 

 her on April 17th, and a few days later eight were counted, no 

 further increase being noted during the month. These young 

 ones were born alive, and except as to colour and size resembled 

 their parents in every respect — possessing even the powder to eject 

 the sticky fluid from their oral papillae at the earliest age at 

 which it was possible to itest them. As the births proceeded 

 at the rate of not more than one per day, the family obviously 

 consisted of individuals of graduated ages ; whilst there were only 

 two or three the male appeared to keep out of the way, and the 

 young followed the mother if disturbed ; but as the number 

 increased the elder ones would form groups by themselves, whilst 

 the mother was attended by the latest born ; there did not, 

 however, appear to be any antipathy between either of the 

 parents and their offspring, as the whole of them would occasion- 

 ally be found coiled together in one happy family. The com- 

 paratively large size of the young was a matter of surprise, and 



