2G4 Mr. H. N. Moseley on the Species o/'Peripatus. 
specimens of Peripatus preserved in the British Museum, with 
a view to clearing up the matter. I came to the conclusion 
that the species of Peripatus as hitherto described were in 
some considerable confusion, and that only the careful exami¬ 
nation of the minute structure of the feet, skin, and other 
organs in the case of each species would yield a satisfactory 
result. Being unable to devote the necessary time to the 
matter, I drew up the following notes, intending to publish 
them as an assistance to future workers ; but hearing that 
Prof. Perceval Wright was about to prepare a revision of the 
entire species of Peripatus , I sent the notes to him. 
Press of other work has prevented Prof. Wright from issu¬ 
ing as yet his monograph, although some most beautiful 
figures of P. novce zelandice have been prepared for it. I 
therefore publish these somewhat scanty notes to draw attention 
to the discrepancies which exist in the various accounts. 
(1) The genus Peripatus was first described by Guilding 
in 1825 and 1826, in the ‘ Zoological Journal,’ vol. ii. p.444, 
tab. xiv. (1826) art. xlvii. Mollusca Carribseana; Isis (1828), 
Bd. xxi. Taf. ii. 
Guilding’s specimens came from the forests of St. Vincent 
in the Antilles. lie names his species Peripatus julifor mis. 
This species is said by Blanchard, on the authority of 
Macleay (reference?), to be found also in Cuba. 
(2) Audouin and Milne-Edwards obtained specimens of a 
Peripatus from a spot three leagues distant from the mouth 
of the river Approuague in Cayenne. These specimens they 
referred to Guilding’s species julif or mis ) considering the 
differences found by them between their specimens and Guild¬ 
ing’s description due to imperfect observation of Guilding. 
(“ Classification des Annclides et description de celles qui 
habitent les cotes de France,” Ann. des Sci. Nat. l e s£r. xxx. 
p. 411, pi. xxii. 1833.) 
(3.) Wiegmann obtained a specimen of a Peripatus from 
the neighbourhood of Valentia Lake in Columbia. He con¬ 
sidered this of the same species as Guilding’s, though dif¬ 
fering in the number of pairs of feet. (Wiegm. Arch. 1837, 
i. p. 199.) 
(4) C. Moritz found a Peripatus in abundance in the island 
of St. Thomas, U. W. I., in 1839. He found the animal in 
the valley of Aragua. He gives a very good account of the 
manner in which the animal squirts out the tenacious fluid, and 
of the mesh works which this fluid forms as it dries. He fur¬ 
ther observed that the fluid came not from the mouth, but 
from each side of the fore part of the body. He says that the 
large Julus of the Antilles does squirt a fluid from its mouth 
