112 JOURNAL OF THE TRINIDAD 



by the beetle) protruding from the stem. The grub can. then be 

 cut out, and a dressing of coal tar put on the wound so made. 

 In fact a dressing of coal tar should always be put on cacao and 

 shade trees after they have been pruned, for l'ecent pruning 

 always attracts the beetle. If the beetle is too deep in the stem 

 of the tree to be cut out conveniently, a solution of cyanide of 

 potassium and water (1 to 20 parts) is very effective when 

 injected into the burrows. Failing cj-anide, kerosine oil 

 and common soap (1 to 5 parts) answers well. 



1st June, 1891. 



THE TRINIDAD SPECIES OF PERIPATUS. 



TRINIDAD Peripati have frecmently been referred to at 

 Club Meetings but as there appears to be considerable con- 

 fusion amongst the members with regard to their nomenclature 

 it was thought that the following description by Professor 

 Adam Sedgwick, M.A., F.R.S., would be interesting as well as 

 useful : — 



" Dr. J. v. Kennel found two distinct species of Peripatus 

 in Trinidad ; one of these he calls P. Edwardsii and the other 

 P. torquatus. His description of both is unfortunately extremely 

 meagre." 



The species which he calls Edwardsii possesses twenty-eight 

 pairs of legs. The generative opening is between the legs of the 

 penultimate pair, and the generative organs present the char- 

 acters of the Neotropical species. Dr. v. Kennel was kind 

 enough to send me two of this species in spirit, and I am able to 

 supplement his description. One of these specimens had 31 

 pairs of legs and the other 30, from which it appears that Kennel, 

 like so many other zoologists who have examined Peripatus, has 

 not been very careful in counting the legs. The dorsal surface 

 was of a chocolate colour, the ventral surface being a light brown. 

 The papillae and ridges of the skin presented the features char- 

 acteristic of the Neotropical species. The bases of the primary 

 papillae are conical as in demeraranus. The jaws also presented 

 no points of difference from those of the species from Caracas, 

 excepting that possibly the number of minor teeth was rather 

 larger : in one I found as many as eleven. 



I think there can be no doubt that this is a distinct species 

 and I propose to call it and define it as follows : — 



Peripatus trinidadensis (Edwardsii, v. Kennel). Peripatus 

 with 28 to 31 pairs of ambulatory legs, and a large number of 



