160 Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria. 



vegetation, and high altitude above the sea. He would like 

 to know, whether Professor Spencer had traced any effect of 

 the altitude above the sea on the distribution of the species. 

 The district which had been visited averaged about 8000 

 feet above the sea and was noted for a comparatix^ely heavy 

 rainfall. It was a curious thing that such an animal, 

 apparently so soft and feeble, should be able to destroy the 

 formidable beetle, with its hard armour and sliarp claws. 

 The description of its proceedings reminded one of a 

 boa-constrictor dealing with a bullock. It would be interest- 

 ing to know whether the unfortunate beetle made any 

 desperate attempts to rend its persecutor, or whether it 

 succumbed to its fate. 



Professor Spencer said that, with regard to the forms 

 procured from the special district in question, they were 

 notable for being nearly all dark coloured, the light coloured 

 species being remarkably absent. As to their food, the 

 Geoplanas undoubtedly kill a great number of beetles. 



Mr. Hogg said it was interesting to see the number of 

 new species which were the result of almost every expedition 

 made by Professor Spencer and Mr. Dendy. He thought 

 the reason why they had not seen so many of them before, 

 was because sufhcient attention had not been given to them. 

 He himself could testify to the large number of creatures 

 which these worms eat. He had placed some planarians and 

 moths together in a box, and a large moth, nearly two inches 

 long in the body, had been conij^letely cleared out by three 

 or four planarians. With reference to what the Professor 

 had said about the classification of the planarian according 

 to the even or odd number of its stripes, this was a matter 

 to which he had always felt some difficulty; because, although 

 the body shapes were very persistent indeed, it always 

 seemed to him that the stripes were not nearly equally so. 

 The Professor had clearly shown the difference between the 

 species, but he had often found that the stripes in what 

 appeared to be the same species were ver^^ faint, and some- 

 times hardly existant. There were indications of them at 

 one end of the planarian jiossibly, but they were not always 

 persistent down the planarian, and seemed to him to vary 

 considerably. This was a matter that wanted a good deal 

 of considei'ation before it could be shown that the persistency 

 was so great tliat the species were to be determined by it. 

 The colours certainly varied in some small degree, and he 



