DR. E. A. GOELDI ON THE LEPIDOSIREN OP THE AMAZONS. 415 



in regard to the individual B, in which small size and youth may perhaps hide the 

 characteristic exterior sexual signs, on the other hand, there is no doubt that specimen 

 A from Marajo Island (now in the possession of the British Museum) is an adult 

 female, the ovaries having been rendered visible by a section. Individual C, from 

 Obydos, is evidently a male, as it shows the villi distinctly on the left abdominal fin. 

 The right abdominal fin exists only in the form of a short prominence or stump, 

 having been probably bitten away by some carnivorous fish. 



We have, therefore, a numerical proportion of 4 females to 1 male. This may be 

 purely casual, but the possibility cannot be denied that there may exist in this Dipnoan 

 a real predominance of females over males. Unfortunately I do not possess any 

 information upon this point as regards the large collection of Paraguayan Lepidosiren 

 recently made by Dr. Bohls and sent to Europe. 



Concerning the measurements of my five Amazonian Lepidosirens, I have drawn up 

 the following table : — 



A. 59 cm. 



B. 39 cm. 



C. 59 cm. 



D. 70 cm. 



E. 60-70 cm. [approxim.]. 



Individual B, from Santarem, is only 32 mm. in dorso-ventral diameter ; individual 

 C 49 mm., having a circumference of 14 - 8 cm. ; individual D is 70 mm. in dorso- 

 ventral diameter. 



IV. Situation of the Anus, and external Colour. 



The asymmetrical position of the anus (on the left side, near the pelvic fin), already 

 noticed by the original describers of Lepidosiren paradoxa, is repeated again on all my 

 five recent individuals. 



As regards the external colour of Lepidosiren, it seems to me that the difference 

 between dark and brown individuals ought to be considered as a secondary matter, 

 often merely produced by the effects of alcohol, and not peculiar to the living animal. 

 This is shown by my four spirit-specimens A-D. The specimens A and B are now 

 decidedly and uniformly dark, the former nearly black, the latter of a slaty colour. 

 Individual C is now dark above and brownish below ; on the individual D brownish 

 spots, and more or less extended patches of the same colour, are still to be observed on 

 the dorsal side. I am personally convinced that the brownish colour is, as a rule, 

 predominant in the living and fresh animal. The picture of our living Lepidosiren 

 exhibited before this meeting of the Zoological Society has been executed with great 

 care, and is highly instructive upon this point. 



The following passage in Prof. Lankester's memoir (Trans. Zool. Soc. vol. xiv. p. 24) 

 refers to this subject : — " The most striking and uniform difference which I have observed 

 is the colour : the Paraguayan specimens are black, the Brazilian specimens are clear 



3i2 



