402 ARTHUR DENDY. 



nine were female, twelve male, and nine young, Avliile three 

 specimens sent to me subsequently from the same locality by 

 Mr. Donald Ross were all female. 



Discussion of Relationship, etc. — Whether or not 

 the specimens recorded by Fletcher (8) as probably belonging- 

 to P. viridimaculatus are really referable to this species 

 must remain doubtful until we have further information about 

 them. The only published account of them known to me is 

 the following, which I quote in full: — " Mr. Fletcher exhibited 

 five specimens (male 2, female 3) of a Peripatus with four- 

 teen pairs of walking legs, the males with white papillte on 

 the legs of the posterior nine pairs, from the North Island of 

 New Zealand. The specimens were obtained by Mr. C. T. 

 Mnsson near Te Aroha in the early part of last January. They 

 will probably prove to be referable to the species for which 

 Professor Dendy ('Nature,' March 8th, 1900, p. 444) has 

 recently proposed the name P. viridimaculatus, founded 

 on specimens collected at the head of Lake Te Anau in the 

 South liland. The (spirit) specimens exhibited, howevei', do 

 not in their present condition seem to show the ' fifteen pairs 

 of green spots arranged segmentally,^ which Dr. Dendy 

 describes as characteristically present in the specimens from 

 the South Island." Whether these specimens belong to 0. 

 viridimaculatus or not, it is indeed a most remarkable 

 coincidence that a fourteen-legged species should have been 

 discovered in the North Island of New Zealand certaiidy 

 within a few days of the time when I discovered one in the 

 South ! The green pigment in my specimens does not appear 

 to be soluble in spirit. 



Extremely interesting is the close relationship of 0. 

 viridimaculatus to the Tasmanian and Victorian species 

 0. in sign is. Indeed it would be difficult, if not impossible, 

 to distinguish the two species except by the characteristic 

 colour, markings. 'I have seen no trace in 0. insiguis of 

 the bright emerald-green pigment which forms such a 

 characteristic feature in 0. viridimaculatus, and the 

 absence of the green spots, if confirmed, may necessitate 



