1108 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. 



thero seemed to bo a general opinion that it had come from Burma. 

 Prof. Moseley, however, thought it had come from Japan. A remark- 

 able circumstance in connection with it was that no specimen had yet 

 been found with generative organs, although it was quite certain that 

 the species multiplied with rapidity. It was therefore a matter of 

 wonder how such an increase could under these conditions be ac- 

 counted fur, and tho suggestion was made that it might possibly be 

 by transverso fission, a process which had been the subject of some 

 controversy. Sir J. G. Dalyell and others asserted that Planarians 

 divided transversuly, whilst, on the other hand, Schultze stated that 

 he had seen large numbers and kept them under observation, but had 

 never seen any indication of transverse fission. It was further stated 

 that this mode of reproduction only occurred in the case of those 

 with straight intestines ; but in 1883, Von Kennel, and more lately 

 Zachaiias, had seen transverse fission take place in Planarians with 

 branched intestines ; and whilst he (Prof. Bell) could not show con- 

 clusively from actual observation of the process, that Bipalium did 

 divide in this manner, yet he thought he had obtained evidence 

 sufficient to warrant the belief that such was the case. He received 

 some time ago two specimens from Gosport (drawings of which 

 ho had made upon the black-board) ; one of them had the hammer- 

 head shape at the one end, but the other, which was a very small 

 specimen, had no trace of it, but was simply pointed at both ends. 

 Unfortunately one of the Gosport specimens got lost, but he watched 

 the small one carefully day by day, and on tho 5th of October 

 — or eleven days after it had arrived — he noticed a delicate fringe 

 running round the anterior end. This fringe had since grown and 

 grown until at the present time it was very obviously a hammer-head, 

 so that it was clear that a creature of this kind might in the course of 

 three weeks attain the perfect condition. A specimen from Liverpool, 

 which had been divided into two in the post, was afterwards found to 

 be in three pieces. At first he thought the third might have been 

 previously overlooked amongst the moss, but on measuring the por- 

 tions he found one to be 27 mm. and the other 16 mm., so that it 

 seemed tolerably certain that at some period between the 29th of 

 September and the 5th of October the piece which had originally 

 measured 41 mm. had divided into two. He thought it might be 

 conceded that the observations proved — first, that spontaneously a 

 piece of a Bipalium would divide into two — and, secondly, that 

 given repose, a piece of a Bipalium, pointed at both ends, would 

 thicken and form the hammer-head extremity which was a charac- 

 teristic of the adult. 



Prof. Stewart, in reply to the President, said he had no remarks 

 to make with reference to this very interesting communication, but he 

 might perhaps mention that having had the opportunity of seeing the 

 specimen which had reproduced its head, he had no hesitation in say- 

 ing that it was a bona fide head. He could therefore entirely confirm 

 the observation, although he need hardly say that confirmation was 

 quite unnecessary in the case of so able and minute an observer as 

 Prof. Bell. 



