NOTES ON THE PEEIPATUS OF DOMINICA. 287 



Many of the papillae, both on the legs and body, are divided 

 into two main portions, a basal and a more distal part. Of 

 these the basal portion is cylindrical in form, thus agreeing 

 with the species from Caracas, and differing from the Demerara 

 species, in which the basal portion of a papilla is conical 



(fig- 1). 



The papillae vary considerably in shade, some being much 

 lighter than others, and to this is due the speckled appearance 

 of the skin. 



Jaws. — Fig. 2 shows that the jaws are very similar to 

 thoseof P. Edwardsii (4, figs. 25,26). 



The outer blade is provided with a large main tooth, and a 

 smaller but still well-marked secondary one. On the inner 

 blade there is a large main tooth and seven or eight smaller 

 ones, of which the first is closely approximated to the main 

 one, and is considerably larger than the remaining six or 

 seven, from which it is separated by a wide diastema. 



Antennae. — The papillae on the rings of the antennae are 

 arranged in several rows. 



Ambulatory Appendages. — Only one specimen of Peri- 

 patus from Dominica has been previously described, and the 

 authorities differ as to the number of legs possessed by it. 

 Professor Jeffrey Bell states that there are thirty pairs (1), whilst 

 Mr. Sedgwick considers that there are only twenty-nine (4). 



In my specimens the number of ambulatory appendages 

 varies from twenty-five to thirty pairs, the great majority 

 having twenty-nine. 



The relationship between the number of appendages and the 

 sex of the individual is interesting. 



Out of thirty-nine specimens in which the sex was ascer- 

 tained only eight are males, and each of these is possessed of 

 twenty-five pairs of legs only. 



Of the thirty-one females which I have examined, two are 

 possessed of twenty-six pairs of ambulatory appendages, one 

 of twenty-eight, twenty of twenty-nine, and six of thirty; 

 whilst I am uncertain as to the number possessed by the two 

 remaining specimens. 



VOL. 35, PART 2. — NEW SEE. X 



