MONOGRAPH OF THE GENUS PERIPATUS. 461 



tubes were closely applied together and united to the pericardial 

 floor only at their anterior extremities by a single band. 



Spermatozoa have been found in the receptaculum and in 

 the oviduct near the opening of the latter. There are few, if 

 any, spermatozoa in the ovary. I have not been able to see, 

 though I have examined live specimens with great care, a trace 

 of cilia in any part of the female organs. It will be seen from 

 the above that I take exception to Captain HuttonV descrip- 

 tion of the ovary as an ovate organ. 



The ova are large, oval in shape, and heavily charged with 

 food-yolk. They are surrounded by a membrane of the same 

 nature as the egg membrane of P. cap en sis, but much 

 tougher. The greatest length of an unsegmented ovum from 

 the uterus is about 1*5 mm., the breadth "8 mm. The greatest 

 number of embryos found in one animal was eighteen, twelve 

 in one uterus and six in the other. But the number varies in 

 the different specimens. Captain Hutton found eighteen in 

 one uterus and eight in the other. The same naturalist states 

 that " when the embryos are numerous there is a considerable 

 difference in the point of development to which they have 

 attained." I can confirm this statement ; but the greater 

 number of the embryos in any given animal are of the 

 same age. 



Habits. — Captain Hutton (No. 19) has fully described 

 the habits of this species. He says : 



" They live in decayed wood, under stones, or in crevices 

 of rock. They are nocturnal, but will feed in the daytime 

 when hungry. They feed upon animals. I have seen one 

 shoot out its viscid fluid from the oral papillae at a fly intro- 

 duced into the jar in which it was confined, and stick it down; 

 it then went up and sucked its juices, rejecting the whole of 

 the integument. This viscid fluid is for offensive and not 

 defensive purposes. In the winter they become half torpid, 

 though procreation still goes on. During this time of the year 

 I have never seen them feed, and they cannot emit their viscid 



1 I have not been able to see any trace of the lateral vessel of Captain 

 Hutton. 



