The Oviparlty of the lair/er Victoricui Pevipatas. 33 



amongst the rotten wood (September IG). It looked much 

 healthier than those which had previously been transferred 

 from the vivarium, many of the latter having already begun 

 to shrivel up and acquire a dark colour. \\\ the newly tound 

 egg and also in the healthier-looking of those previously 

 obtained there now appeared to be a dark spot in the 

 interior, but this was only dimly visible through the thick 

 sculptured shell. 



On September 25th the last remaining female was still 

 apparently in good health but on Octobei- 1st it was found 

 dead— how long it had been so I do not know. On dissection 

 I found the internal organs in a bad condition. I^eitlier 

 eggs nor embryos were visible in the oviducts. The ducts of 

 the slime glands were very much enlarged and swollen out, 

 while the bi-anching portions appeared feebly developed, in 

 fjict not distinctly recognisable. The alimentary canal was 

 almcst empty and the animal seemed to have died of 

 •starvation. 



On October 3 I dissected one of the eggs from the hatch- 

 ing box. I could find no embryo in it but only the same 

 semi-liquid, yolk-like contents as when in utero, full of little 

 oil or yolk globules. Inside the thick, sculptured "shell" 

 there was, as usual, a very thin and delicate, transparent mem- 

 brane. Probably a young embryo was really present but 

 was broken up in opening the egg and overlooked ; even at 

 a much later period the embiyonic tissues are extremel}- 

 delicate. 



On November 30 I noted that several of the eggs were 

 shewing indications of an embryo appearing coiled up 

 within them, but the shell was so thick and opaque that it 

 was impossible to make out any details. I dissected the vgg 

 which was found on September 1(5 and which had since then 

 been kept separate from the rest. I found in it a beautiful 

 embiyo Peripatus in an advanced stage of development. 

 The embryo was surrounded by a delicate, transparent 

 membrane, which fitted closely on to it and was very 

 difticnlt to remove ; outside this came the sculptured shell. 

 The emliryo possessed a distinct head, with clearly recogniz- 

 able brain, eyes and ringed antenna^, and there were at 

 least seven pairs of appendages behind the antennae. It lay 

 tightly coiled up, with the posterior extremity resting 

 against the side of the neck, in such a position as to make it 

 very difiicult to count the appendages. The specimen was 

 stained and mounted in Canada balsam. This embryo, then, 



D 



