422 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION D. 



Tasmaniau siiecimens is a mystery, but, siuce such is the case, T 

 propose to give the specific name typhlops to these remarkable blind 

 Tasmanian planarians. No blind land planarians have hitherto 

 been described from Australasia, but it is interesting to note t'lat a 

 blind species, Geobia subterranea, is said to occur in Brazil, living 

 in the burrows of earthworms, upon which it feeds. I learn from 

 Mr. Morton that Geoplana typhlops is also sometimes found under- 

 grovmd, but I do not think that this is by any means a distinguish- 

 ing character. Coming now to the South Australian land 

 planarians, we find that the number of species known is absurdly 

 small as compared with the eastern colonies, namely, tivo. These 

 species are : — 



(1) Geoplana quinquelineata, Fletcher and Hamilton. — A 



species very common in Victoria, and now represented 

 from South Australia by two small specimens collected by 

 Mr. Thomas Steele, on the extreme summit of Mount 

 Lofty. 



(2) Geoplana Fletcheri, Dendy. — This species, although first 



described from Victoria, appears to have its home in the 



Mount Lofty district. In May, 1892, my friend, Mr. 



Thos. Steele, found it in large numbers in a deep gully 



behind Mount Lofty and sent me thirty-nine specimens 



alive ! In Victoria it is distinctly rare. Mr. Steele's 



specimens are particularly interesting as showing a 



beautiful series of transitional stages in color markings 



between the more typical G. Fletcheri, as first described, 



and the very beautiful and at first sight very distinct 



variety Adelaideansis, which I described in my previous 



notes. The locality where Mr. Steele obtained his 



specimens was a depot for firewood brought from the 



surrounding forest, Avhich perhaps accounts in some 



measure for the extraordinary number of specimens met 



with in such a limited area. 



In conclusion, I would like to mention that Professor von Graff, 



whose work I referred to at the last meeting of this Association, is 



stiU engaged upon his great monograph of the land planarians. 



He informs me that he is about to A^sit Ceylon and Java, where 



he will probably have magnificent opportunities for studying the 



animals in a state of nature, and that any material received up to 



the end of 1894 will be welcome. As previously pointed out, my 



method of working has been to describe the external characters in 



all our scientific publications and then to forward named specimens 



to Professor von Graff for minute anatomical investigation and 



comparison with species from other parts of the world. 



This method I am still folloAving, and I would recommend those 

 Australian naturalists who are interested in this beautiful and 

 remarkable group of worms to adopt the same plan. I shall 

 myself always be glad to receive specimens, especially from 



