12(S Proceed ill (js of liie Roijol SocieJi/ oj Victoria. 



n|»()ii vvliicli tliese o1).servati()iis wei'c based, so that, in the 

 case of the egg-laying liabite, I was able to continue the 

 observations on 1113^ own account. It will be seen in the 

 sequel that my suggestion as to the manner in which the 

 eggs are discharged from the body was incorrect, while, on the 

 (jtljcr hand, m_y views as to the method of copulation receive 

 support. The new oltservations reieried to above are as 

 follows: — 



On the 22nd of May last Mr. Brittlebank found, near 

 Myrniong, two specimens of Geovemertes, apparently male 

 and female in copulation. The supposed male was very 

 much smaller than the female, and was riding on the back of 

 the latter. The female was about three-quarters of an inchand 

 and the male only about one-quartei' of an inch in length when 

 ci'awling. Mr. Brittlebank observed the specimens for an 

 hour and then posted them to me, but unfoitunately tliey 

 were lost in the post, so that I M^as unable to determine the 

 sexes by microscopical examination. The notes and sketches 

 made by this careful observer, however, point strongl}' to 

 the conclusion that the specimens were really male and 

 female. Again, on August 5, Mr. Brittlebank wrote to me 

 that he had found anothei' })air coujiled and he adds " the 

 male onl}^ crawled over the dorsal surface of the female." 

 Unfortunately tliese specimens also are not forthcoming for 

 microscopical examination, but Mr. Brittlebank informs me 

 that he watched them for a long time. 



The above evidence, though not absolutely conclusive, 

 points stT'ongly to the conclusion thah mj^ suggestion as to 

 the manner in which the eggs are fertilized is correct. "We 

 have next to deal with the manner in wliich the eggs are 

 deposi ted . 



On July 4th Mr. H. Giles, of Oreekside, Nar-Nar-Goon, 

 found a very fine specimen of Geoiieoiiertes, which he kept, 

 intending to send it to me alive. He forgot, it, however, for 

 some days, and meantime, on July 7th, it de])Osited a mass 

 of eggs, and on the J 3th it was found coiled around a second 

 mass of eggs. On the loth July I i-eceived from Mr. Giles 

 the parent worm and the two masses of eggs which it had 

 laid, the woi-m apparently in good health, and without any 

 signs of I'upture of the body wall, and still containing a 

 number of eggs visible through the integument. I kept this 

 specimen under observation foi- a long time, and on August 1 st 

 found it lying by the side of yet a third mass of eggs which 

 it had evidently just deposited underneath some moss in the 



