The Oviparitii of the kmjer Victorian Peripatus. 35 



was full of granular food yolk. The specimen was stained 

 witli borax carmine and mounted in Canada balsam. 



This embryo, then, developed for at least eight months and 

 a half after the egg was laid and at the end of that time was 

 a perfect young Perlpcttus, differing externally from the 

 adult only in its smaller size and less deeply pigmented 

 skin. 



There are still two eggs left in the hatching box but they 

 do not look to me at present as if they were going to hatch. 

 Whether they do so or not, however, I think I may fairly 

 claim to have now definitely proved that the larger 

 Victorian Peripatus at any rate sometimes lays eggs, and 

 that these eggs are capable of undergoing development 

 outside the body until pei-fect young animals are produced. 

 The great length of time required for the development of 

 the eggs is very remarkable, but it is only what one might 

 expect on considering the unusual length of time required 

 for intra-uterine development in other species. 



D 2 



