Oviparity o/" Peripatus Leuckartii. 137 



finding their way into the records of zoological literature, and 

 confusion and misapprehension niaj result therefrom." 



In reply to Mr. Fletcher's indictment I wish to make the 

 following remarks : — 



(1) I do not understand the meaning of the statement that 

 the New South Wales Peripatus is, " on the ipse dixit of 

 Dr. Dendy himself," P. Leuckartii. I certainly am not 

 responsible for this identification, which was, I believe, first 

 made by Mr. OUiff, who remarks *, on first recording the 

 animal from New South Wales, that " the species is identical 

 with that recently recorded by Mr. Fletcher from Gippsland, 

 and is probably tlie Peripatus Leuckartii of Sanger." I need 

 scarcely point out that the name Leuckartii has since been 

 applied by Mr. Fletcher himself to the New South Wales 

 species. 



Possibly Mr, Fletcher means to refer to the larger Vic- 

 torian species, of which the first recorded specimen was 

 identified by himself \ as " in all probability an example of 

 P. LpMckartiij Sanger." If Mr. Fletcher will refer to my 

 earliest communication on the subject J, he will find that in 

 recording the discovery of two specimens at Warburton (only 

 one specimen having been previously recorded from this 

 colony) I made the following statement, " after carefully 

 studying Professor Sedgwick's full description of P. Leuck- 

 artii, I am fairly certain that they do not belong to that 

 species, but to a new one, which I for the present refrain 

 from naming," basing my conclusion on the remarkable 

 pattern of the skin. Professor Sedgwick, however, in reply 

 to my observations, expressed the opinion § that the species 

 probably was subject to a considerable range of variation in 

 colour. Having studied more specimens I myself came to 

 the same conclusion |1, and have since then followed Mr. 

 Fletcher in calling the larger Victorian species P. Leuckartii. 

 This use of the name Leuckartii on my part seems to be 

 Mr. Fletcher's chief grievance against me ; but I would ask 

 him to remember that 1 have only followed his own lead in 

 this respect. 



(2) 1 am not aware that I have contradicted any state- 

 ments, for the simple reason that I cannot find that tliere were 



* Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. W. vol. ii. p. Orfl. 

 t Ibid. p. 450. 



X ' Victorian Naturalist,' January 1889. 

 § ' Nature,' February 28, 1889. 



II " Observations on the Australian Species of Peripattis" Proc. Roy. 

 Soc. Victoria, July 11, 1889. 



Ann. (ii; May, N. Hint. Ser. 6. Vol. x. 10 



