Oviparity o/" Peripatus Lcuckartii. 139 



my statements are already " finding their way into the records 

 of zoological literature, and confusion and misapprehension 

 may result tliercfrom." There is not the slightest need for 

 confusion now that we have at length a definite statement as 

 to the reproduction of the New South Wales species. It 

 must be perfectly obvious to every reader that my own obser- 

 vations were based entirely on Victorian specimens, as stated 

 distinctly in the pa])er, and that my suggestion as to the 

 New South Wales form was a perfectly justifiable, though, as 

 it turns out, incorrect deduction from the only published 

 facts. It is perhaps unfortunate that both the New South 

 Wales and Victorian forms should have been included under 

 the name Leuchartii, but for this Mr. Fletcher himself is at 

 least as mucli responsible as any one. 



(5) Mr. Fletcher states that the question at issue is not 

 whether or no the Victorian s])ecies is oviparous. Herein I 

 must beg to differ from him, as this is the real question which 

 I have been all along trying to solve and compared with 

 which the mere question of nomenclature is, in my opinion, 

 insignificant. In concluding his observations he also indulges 

 in certain offensive and unjustifiable personalities, which I 

 need not quote. It is greatly to be regretted that he should 

 have considered such a proceeding advisable, and, for my own 

 part, I entirely fail to see the advantage to be derived there- 

 from, and must refuse to follow his example in this respect. 



Probably the solution of the whole difKculty will be found 

 to lie in the fact that my original opinion was correct after 

 all and that our larger Victorian Feripatus is specifically 

 distinct from P. Leuckartii. For the present, however, I 

 still refrain from giving it a distinctive name, as I have had 

 very few specimens from other localities to compare it with, 

 and do not wish, if it can be helped, to create a new species 

 merely on account of the oviparous habit. This question, 

 however, is discussed in my communication to the Australasian 

 Association already referred to. 



As to the oviparous habit of our larger Victorian species 

 (so called to distinguish it from the smaller P. insignis) I 

 have some additional evidence to offer, and I would like at 

 the same time to recapitulate the main arguments in favour 

 of my view. My critics have entirely ignored all that is new 

 in my observations, such as the remarkable sculptured egg- 

 shell, and have suggested that what I have observed is 

 simply a case of abnormal extrusion of eggs such as takes 

 place sometimes in P. novce-zealandtce. Professor Hutton, 

 however, who made the observation on the New Zealand 

 species, merely states that the eggs are often extruded before 



10* 



