AUSTEALASIAN SPECIES. 179 



more numerous young ova. These observations seem to me to 

 show that the eggs pass into the uterus in November and De- 

 cember, and that the young are born in July ; in other words, 

 that the period of gestation is eight or nine months. This con- 

 clusion is, however, not borne out by Captain Button's state- 

 ment^ (No. 19), that he has "never opened one which did not 

 contain embryos;" and that he found the uterus full of embryos 

 in September and November. It must be admitted, therefore, 

 that the point cannot be settled on the evidence before us. It is 

 much to be regretted that none of the New Zealand naturalists 

 have taken the trouble to determine a point so easy of observation. 



With regard to the sexual relations, I am inclined to think 

 that copulation does not take place, and that the end of the 

 vas deferens, which I have called the ductus ejaculatorius, 

 is not protrusible. I have, indeed, observed in spirit specimens 

 small white ovoid bodies, which closely resemble the spermato- 

 phores of the South African species, and I think there can be 

 no doubt that the sexual relations are the same as in those 

 species. The period of the year at which fertilisation is 

 effected is unknown. Hutton has observed that the recepta- 

 cula contain spermatozoa in November, but are empty in 

 September. This observation distinctly confirms my deduction 

 that the ova pass into the oviduct in November or December. 



Before leaving this subject I may mention that I can entirely 

 confirm Button's statement that the eggs are often extruded 

 before the development is completed. This may possibly be a 

 reminiscence of the time, probably not very remote, when the 

 eggs were laid in the normal Arthropodan manner — a view 

 which receives support from the thick shell, large size, and 

 heavily yolked nature of the ovum of this species. 



' It should be noted that Hutton does not state whether his observations 

 were spread over the whole year. 







