SCIEXCE- GOSSIP. 



•• about three inches '* as the distance to which his 

 Nicaragua!) Peripatus throws its slime ; Ward 

 mentions, however, that his fingers have been 

 struck by the slime of Peripatus mogeleyi at a dis- 

 tance of six to eight inches, and Peripatus capensis, 

 according to Sedgwick, can squirt its slime to the 

 distance of almost a foot : it is reported, moreover, 

 that Peripatus mogeleyi can thus hit an object even 

 at a distance of two feet ( 17 ). The slime of Peripatus 

 capensis, Sedgwick adds, though extremely sticky, 

 readily comes away from the skin of the animal 

 itself : a fact of • intere.-t fox comparison with that 

 recorded of the Cuvierian threads of Holothurians. 

 which, while they do not adhere to the slimy body 

 of their possessors, stick to almost everything else 

 with which they come in contact. 



Nearly all the species of Peripatus are vivi- 

 parous, the young, at birth, resembling the adults, 

 except in size and colour. The just -born young of 

 Peripatus capensis are usually about half an inch 

 long, and of these Oakley has recorded the interest- 

 ing fact that they are capable, almost from the 

 first, of ejecting "the web of viscid filar.. - 

 precisely in the manner of their parents." This 

 the infants do. he says, when irritated, and when 

 placed in spirit. The young of small mothers, 

 presumably of the same species, were very tiny, 

 only J to ^ inch long : yet these, when irritated, 

 made discharges like the rest. Similarly, accord- 

 ing to Ward, the young of Peripatus rfloseleyi are 

 capable of shooting out slime at the earliest age at 

 which it is possible to test them. 



From what has been said as to the rapidity of 

 the discharge, it is not surprising that there was at 

 first some uncertainty as to its source. Guilding 

 and Belt supposed it to come from the mouth, and 

 Gosse from the antennae. It is almost impossible, 

 as above noted, to observe the emission of the jets. 

 rding to Moseley. however, on close examina- 

 tion with a lens, especially in the case of large 

 specimens, it can be seen that they are projected 

 from the oral papillae : and there is, of course, no 

 doubt on this point when reference is made to the 

 anatomy of the animal. 



With regard to the purpose of the discharge, it 

 can hardly be doubted that it is mainly defensive. 

 U seley observed that when the creatures were 

 pricked about the side or middle, they turned their 

 heads round and aimed the discharge at the place 

 at which the injury was being received ; and he 

 further adds, the tenacity of the threads formed 

 by the fluid is so great, and their viscidity so re- 

 markable, that the meshwork of them thrown over 

 an insect or other such enemy would entangle it, 

 and render it powerless for some time, even if it 

 were of considerable size. All the observers above 

 quoted, as we have stated, have remarked upon the 

 viscosity of the ejected matter. Moseley, like 

 Gosse. compares it to birdlime : " whilst I am 

 writing." he continues, - several flies have walked 

 (17) Gonloii, in Ward, Jx. 



into some of the fluid which I caused a larg 

 Peripatus to discharge .... the flies i 

 lessly stuck fast ; and I believe that the fluid is 

 quite sticky enough to hold small bird-, though it 

 dries too rapidly to be used for that purpose." 

 According to PocockC 8 ), a Peripatus has 1 

 by this means, to overcome a small scorpion. 

 Besides their use for defensive purposes, however, the 

 discharges have also an offensive use. There are 

 statements implying that the creatures habitually 

 strike down small insects for food by shooting 

 slime at them ; but the evidence to this effect is not 

 full, for little is known of the animals" feeding 

 habits in a state of nature, and it is not evident 

 that the creatures are constantly in need of cap- 

 turing active living prey. Belt, a most conscien- 

 tious naturalist, it is true, has remarked of his 

 Xicaraguan Peripatus that it -had a singular 

 method of securing its prey." i.e. by discharging 

 viscid slime, with which •• it can envelop and 

 capture its prey, just as a fowler throws his net 

 over a bird : " unfortunately, however, Belt does 

 not mention the grounds on which he bases this 

 statement, and one is not sure that he personally 

 saw prey thus captured. Sedgwick, who kept 

 Peripatus capensis in captivity, did not see prey 

 taken in this way. Hutton. however, relates that 

 a Peripatus novae-zealandiae. which he kept in a 

 jar, shot out its viscid fluid at a fly which had been 

 introduced into the vessel : by this means the fly 

 was stuck down, and the Peripatus then went up 

 and sucked out its juices. Steel, finally, who kept 

 numerous specimens of Peripatus leucharti in cap- 

 tivity for more than a year, has recently given 

 attention to this point, the result of his observa- 

 tions being that while the animal does not always 

 use its slime in securing its prey, it certainly doe- 

 resort thereto when the insect it is endeavouring 

 to secure appears likely to escape, or when it 

 struggles violently, or again when the animt . is 

 hungry and wants to make certain of the capture. 

 Under these circumstances, the Peripatus -be- 

 comes animated, raises the front part of its body. 

 and ejects the viscid fluid from both papillae 

 simultaneously. " 



(To he continued.} 



At the invitation of the President of the 

 Royal Meteorological Society, a meeting was held 

 at the rooms of the Society on the afternoon of 

 May 31st to consider the question of a memorial to 

 the late George J. Syruons. F.B.S., the distinguished 

 meteorologist and founder of the British Rainfall 

 Organisation. It was resolved unanimously that 

 the memorial should take the form of a gold medal, 

 to be awarded from time to time by the Council of 

 the Royal Meteorological Society for distinguished 

 work in connection with meteorological science. 

 Contributions will be received by the assistant 

 secretary, Mr. W. Marriott, 70 Victoria Street. 

 Westminster. 



(18) Pocock, K Bojal Sat. Hist," vi. (1836), p. 2--. 



