The Ovlparitjj of the larger Victorian Peripatus. 29 



Professor Sedgwick, however, in reply to my observations, 

 expressed the opinion* tliat the species probably was 

 subject to a considerable range of variation in colour. 

 Having studied more specimens I myself came to the same 

 conclusion^ and liave since tlien followed Mr. Fletcher in 

 calling the larger Victorian species l\ leiickartii. This 

 use of tlie name leuckartii on my part seems to be Mr. 

 Fletcher's chief grievance against me but I would ask him 

 to remember that I have onl_y followed his own lead in this 

 respect. 



(2) I am not aware that I have contradicted any state- 

 ments for the simple reason that I cannot find that there 

 wei'e any definite statements as to the mode of reproduction 

 of the New South Wales Peripatus for me to contradict. 

 There was merely the assumption by Mr. Fletcher (which I 

 quoted and characterized as very natural) that the 3^oung 

 animals which he found in comj)any with the parent had 

 been born alive. 



(3) I consider that I was fully justified in assuming that 

 the mode of i-eproduction of the New South Wales Peripatun 

 was the same as that of the Victorian one, as at the time 

 when I wrote there were no definite observations published 

 as to the mode of rejiroduction of the former, and it 

 was almost inconceivable that different individuals which 

 Mr. Fletcher liimself, in common with all other writers on 

 the subject, regarded as belonging to one and the same 

 species should be oviparous in the one colony and viviparous 

 in the other. I have no doubt now that the New South 

 W •a\q?, Peripatus is viviparous, as maintained by Mr. Fletcher 

 and Professor Haswell, but I would ask Mr. Fletcher to 

 remember that when I wrote, the only publisiied observations 

 as to the mode of reproduction of the New South Wales 

 species were — {a) the finding of the young in company 

 with the mother, though there was notliing, so far as the 

 published account goes, to show that they had not been 

 hatched from eggs laid for some time ; and (/)) a footnote:|: 

 to one (jf Mr. Fletcher's observations, stating that a female 

 had been dissected and found to Ije pregnant ; the term 

 pregnant is not defined and might, in my opinion, be 



* Nature, February 28, 1889. 



t " Observations on the Australian Species of Peripatus," Proc. Royal 

 See. Victoria, July 11, 1889. 



t Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., Vol. Ill, p. 892. 



