Observations on the Australian Species of Peripatus. 53 



Part I., 1887). Mr. Fletcher observes: — "The specimen 

 which I exhibit this evening was given to me a fortnight 

 ago by my friend Mr. R. T. Baker, of Newington College, 

 who had obtained it a few days previonsly either in or 

 under a rotten log at Warragul, Gippsland, Victoria. It has 

 fifteen pairs of claw-bearing appendages, and has nearly the 

 same dimensions as are given in the abstract referred to. 

 It is, therefore, in all probability an example of P. Leuckartii, 

 Sanger." The specimen was received by Mr. Fletcher in a 

 dried-np condition, so that he was not able to make any 

 further observations upon it. 



At a meeting of the Linnean Societv of New South Wales, 

 on November 27, 1887, Mr. A. Sidney Olliff exhibited and 

 read a note upon a s})ecimen of Peripatus leuckartii which 

 had been obtained by himself and Mr. H. Merewether at the 

 foot of a grey gum tree at Cassilis, on the banks of the 

 Mounmoura Creek, a tributary of the Goulburn River. 

 This is the first recorded discovery of Peripatus in New 

 South Wales. Mr. Olliff says in his note : — " During life 

 my specimen was coloured as follows : — Shining slaty-brown 

 above, dusted with brick-red, with a duskj^-red patch on 

 the head, and a moderately distinct dusky-red lateral line on 

 each side extendino- throufjhout its entire length ; below, 

 pinkish grey ; the antennpe dark brown. It measured 

 21 mm. when fully extended." 



In April 1888, Mr. Sedgwick's beautiful "Monograph on 

 the Species and Distribution of the Genus Peripatus 

 (Guiiding) " was published in the Quarterly Journal of 

 Microscopical Science. The author's observations on P. 

 leuckartii were confined to the two specimens sent by Mr. 

 Ramsay to Professor Bell, and the only locality wdiich he 

 gives for the species is "near Wide Bay, Queensland." The 

 species is diagnosed as follows: — "Australasian Peripatus, 

 with fifteen pairs of legs, an accessory tooth on the outer 

 blade of the jaw, and a white papilla on the ventral side of the 

 last leg of the male." Professor Bell's two specimens are 

 described, and a few anatomical details are given. The 

 species is not figured. 



At the meeting of the Linnean Society of New South 

 Wales of June 27th, 1888, Mr. Fletcher exhibited and 

 described seven more specimens of Peripatus, obtained on 

 a country road near Wollongong, New South Wales. Three 

 of the specimens he preserved alive, and he gives a detailed 

 account of the size and colouration of these. 



