698 PROF. ARTHUR DENDY 01^ 



of the dorsal stripes, the darkening of the ground-colour between 

 the median and paired stripes, and the disappearance of the 

 marginal mottling. The following notes were made on tliese 

 specimens during life: — "Dorsal surface dark brown, nearly 

 " black, with narrow median black line and a broader supiu- 

 " marginal black band, separated from the median stripe [line] 

 " by an intervening zone of dark brown. All these dark parts 

 " appear at first sight as one very broad dark brown band, with a 

 " narrow white mai-gin on either side." In spirit the margins 

 of the body are very pale brown, not white like the ventral 

 surface. 



In another slight variety the intensification of the finely 

 mottled ground-colour of the dorsal surface to form a pair of 

 broad dorsal stripes does not occur. 



Mr. Steel [19Ul bis'] has already pointed out that Professor 

 von Graflf [1899] was probably mistaken in refusing to accept 

 my identification of this species Avith Darwin's Planaria tas- 

 inaniana and in proposing for it the new name Geoplana 

 halfouri. 



Geoplana quinquelineata Fletcher & Hamilton. 

 Geoplana quinquelineata Fletcher & Hamilton [1887]. 

 Geoplana quinquelineata Dendy [1890, 1891, 1895, 1896]. 

 Geoplana quinquelineata von Grafi"[1899]. 

 Geoplana quinquelineata Steel [1901]. 



More than a dozen specimens were obtained from the neigh- 

 bourhood of the Great Lake which seem to belong to this 

 common aiid widely distributed Australian species. I at first 

 considered them as representing a variety of Geoplana tasman- 

 iana, in which the broad, inner, paired stripe on each side wa,s 

 broken up into two and the outer (marginal or submarginal) 

 stripe obsolete, giving, together with the median line, five narrow 

 longitudinal stripes, all on the true dorsal surface. Tlie fact, 

 however, that tlie animal (in spirit) is a good deal narrower, and 

 at the same time less flattened, than G. tasmaniana has induced 

 mo to abandon this interpretation. 



The specimens do not strike me as being quite typical examples 

 of G. quinquelineata, for the inner paired stripe is about twice 

 the width of either the median stripe or the outer paired stripe, 

 but it is well known that G. quinquelineata is subject to a good 

 deal of variation as regards the width of the stiipes. 



My notes on the living worm are very brief, as follows : — 

 " Dorsal surface yellowish, with dark grey or brown stripes. 

 " Ventral surface pale grey, without markings. Anterior tip 

 " brown. Microscopic bluish or whitish specks appear under lens 

 " on dorsal surface (?alvvays). Eyes as usual.'' 



In spirit the ground-colour of the continuous dorsal and lateral 

 surfaces is light brown, and the lateral surfaces appear on either 

 side of the narrow, white, creeping sole as a fairly broad band of 



