1898.] AMAZOKIAN LEPIDOSIUEW. 853 



subject and to insist on the necessity of diminishing our deficiency 

 of actual knowledge relative to the biology of Lepidosiren. 

 1 mentioned particularly the great probability — even at that time 

 I called it quite a certainty — that the analogy in the habitat of the 

 African Protopterus with that of the South-American Lepidosiren 

 would be accompanied by a correspondence in the mode of life, 

 especially as regards its lethargy during the dry season. If my 

 hopes and expectations have not been reahzed so far in this point 

 in regard to the Amazonian Lepidosiren, it must be attributed more 

 to climatic difficulties during recent years than to the want of good- 

 will and exertions. It seeiii's that the critical period (presumably 

 caused by cosmic agents), which regularly brings excessive dryness 

 to Ceani and some of the UL-ighbouring Stales of North Brazil, 

 and exceptional inundations to Lower Amazonia, is approaching 

 again or has already begun. The fact is, that the water-le\el in 

 Marajo and on the Lower Amazon, throughout the localities 

 \vhere specimens of Le])idosiren are caught, \\as considerably 

 higher in 18!J7 than usual, and the papyrus-meadows ("^;>iVm/7,"' 

 from "^n'ri " = papyrus), which, at least ])artial]y, dry up in normal 

 years, remained under water all that year. The same faut repeats 

 itself this year l898-^-the summer in Parti ha\ing begun only 

 about the middle of June, at lea>t a montii alter the usual time. 

 These circumstances did not permit definite investigations about 

 the summer-life of Lepidosiren. But the efforts wiiieh were made 

 brought, at least, one ad\autage. 1 got t\\ o more specimens of the 

 singular Dipnoan, both uninjured, thougli not living. Oue of 

 the specimens lived for some hours after its capture, but did not 

 survive the transport to Pani. Both are males, the villi of the 

 ])osterior extremity being more distinctly developed in the smaller 

 specimen than in the larger. The measurements are : — 



Specimen/. Total length 53 cm. ; circumference 13 cm. 



Anus on the left side. 

 Specimen (/. Total length 51 cm. ; circumference 12| cm. 



Anus on the left side. 



The colour is the same as was described before. These two 

 specimens of 1897, together with the five previously noticed, make 

 the total number of seven specimens of the Amazonian form of 

 Lepidosiren paradoxa obtained by me from 1894 up to this time. 

 These two new specimens were found exactly in the same locality 

 as the Marajo Lepidosiren captured in May 1896, and sent to the 

 British Museum, i. e. at Fazenda Dunas, Cape Magoary, a 

 property belonging to Dr. Vicente Chermont de Miranda, civil 

 engineer. The exact spot is distant only half an hour from the 

 Fazenda building \ 



I think it may be of some interest to describe more exactly the 

 physical features of a locality which in two years has furnished 

 three specimens of this Dipnoan. Eor this purpose I send a 



^ Confer ' Boletim do Museu Paraense,' vol. i. fasc. 1, p. 438 et seqq. 



