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whose life-history is known; this viviparous habit being, indeed, one 

 of the most remarkable characters of the Genus. 



In May last I secured a few good specimens of Peripatus Leuckartii, 

 which 1 have since kept alive in a small vivarium specially arranged 

 for the purpose. The vivarium consists of a large glass jar, with a flat 

 glass cover supported above the rim of the jar on two thin slips of glass, 

 so as to admit of free ventilation, I keep a small open jar full of water 

 inside the large one, and the floor of the vivarium is covered with a 

 thick layer of very rotten wood , kept moist by the evaporation of the 

 water. 



Under these conditions Peripatus flourishes well and the speci- 

 mens may be inspected when desired, by turning over the bits of rotten 

 wood. On making such an inspection to day I found that some twelve 

 or fifteen eggs had been deposited beneath some of the pieces of rotten 

 wood and in crevices of the same. Careful examination shewed that 

 these eggs were undoubtedly those of Peripatus Leuckartii. I collec- 

 ted all I could find and removed them , with some of the rotten wood, 

 to a separate receptacle , and then carefully turned out the vivarium 

 and examined its contents. I found that there were present four speci- 

 mens of Peripatus Leuckartii, one male and three females, all appa- 

 rently in good health , and that there was nothing else which could 

 have laid the eggs ; a very small ant being about the largest living 

 thing present except the Peripatus. It is now some ten weeks since the 

 vivarium was stocked, and as I have carefully examined it several times 

 during that period I am sure that the eggs must have been recently 

 deposited. 



The view that Peripatus Leuckartii is really oviparous receives 

 strong confirmation from anatomical examination of adult females. In 

 these I have nearly always found eggs in the uterus, but, although I 

 have dissected specimens taken in December, May, and July, I have 

 never found any embryos. The only July specimen wich I have yet 

 dissected was captured at the end of the month and given to me by 

 Professor Spencer; it contained neither eggs nor embryos; and as it 

 appeared to be adult it is not unlikely that the eggs had been already 

 laid. Moreover the structure of the eggs in utero is very characte- 

 ristic and argues strongly against the probability of intra-uterine de- 

 velopment. They are very large, oval in shape, and consist of a very 

 tough, tliick. clastic membrane, enclosing a quantity of milky fluid 

 full of yolk granules. 



I have examined microscopically only one egg after laying, as 

 1 wish, if possible, to observe the development; but this one agreed 

 so closely with those found in utero that there can, I think, be 



