463 



no doubt of its identity. It was of about the same shape and size 

 (3/40 inch long by 3 / 50 inch broad), of a very pale yellow colour, with a 

 very tough , elastic membrane and a milky fluid contents containing 

 very many yolk granules. The only difference concerns the almost 

 chitinous-looking membrane, which , instead of having a smooth sur- 

 face (or nearly so) as when in utero, is exquisitely sculptured or 

 embossed in a beautiful and regular design. The design consists of 

 curious little papillae, somewhat resembling worm casts, arranged at 

 fairly regular intervals over the surface of the egg , with much finer, 

 close-set, meandering ridges occupying the spaces between them. Such 

 sculpturing is , as is well known , characteristic of many insect eggs, 

 wherefore it is especially interesting in view of the relationships of 

 Peripatus. As it is not present in intra-uterine eggs it must be formed 

 as the egg passes through the vagina, which is large and thick-walled. 



It thus appears that Peripatus Leuckartii lays eggs in July, and 

 it appears also, from Mr. Fletcher's observations, that the young 

 are hatched at the end of October. As, however. I have also found large 

 eggs in the uterus of a specimen captured in December, I think it not 

 impossible that the animal may be double-brooded. (I have used the 

 term «uterus« in accordance with the customary nomenclature, it would 

 be better, perhaps , to speak only of »oviducts« in P. Leuckartii.) The 

 mode of reproduction of Peripatus Leuckartii thus seems to differ wi- 

 dely from what is known in the other species, and to conform rather 

 to the insect type. Considering the immense quantity of food yolk pre- 

 sent, it is highly probable that tbe development also differs widely. 

 This I hope to be able to work out, but the presence of so much fluid 

 and granular yolk will, I fear, render the task very difficult. 



Melbourne, July 31. 1891. 



2. Über Echiurus chilensis Max Müller. 



Von Dr. Ant. Collin, Berlin (Zoologische Sammlung). 



eingeg. 19. September 1891. 



In seinen »Observât. Anatom, de vermib. quibusdam maritimis«, 

 (Berlin 1852) p. 21 erwähnt Max Müller eines chilenischen Echiurus 

 des Beri: 1er (anatomischen) Museums , über welchen nur angegeben 

 wird, da die Länge des Körpers ö 1 ,^, die der Athemsäcke l 3 /4 Zoll 

 sei. Obgleich Müller durch diese Notiz wohl kaum die Aufstellung 

 einer neuen Art beabsichtigt hat . wird man gut thun, den Namen 

 E. chilensis beizubehalten, da derselbe bereits in die spätere Litteratur 

 Eingang gefunden hat (Diesing, Greeff . Bei Auflösung der hiesi- 

 gen ehemaligen anatomischen Sammlung ist nun neben dem Original 



28* 



