698 Scolopendrella and its Position in Nature. [September, 
minute ball. The glue-mass, according to Dr. Gruber, evidently 
yields also the material for the formation of the egg-sac, since, 
firstly, in oozing out of the valvule the eggs are driven into the 
mass, and secondly, the egg-sac is not formed before the act of 
sexual union, 
SCOLOPENDRELLA AND ITS POSITION IN NATURE. 
BY A. S. PACKARD, JR. 
a recent notices by Mr. John A. Ryder, particularly his last 
able paper,! have called fresh attention to this interesting crea- 
ture, and his discovery of two species in addition to the one 
originally noticed by the writer, shows that the United States are - 
as much favored as Europe in specific forms. Scolopendrella is a 
small, whitish tracheate animal, not exceeding a quarter of an 
inch in length, with a superficial resemblance to a myriopod, such 
as Scolopendra, having a pair of well developed, five-jointed legs to 
each abdominal as well as thoracic segment; its name ending in 
a diminutive gives evidence of the original opinion of its dis- 
coverer, that it was a small myriopod, like Scolopendra, the centi- 
pede. In deference to the general opinion of naturalists in our 
“ Guide to the Study of Insects,” and our “ Zodlogy ” we have let 
_ it remain among the Myriopods, but it occupied an uncertain 
place, as we waited for more light upon the subject of its affini- 
ties, and for time to study it with more care. 3 
Attention was first called to the existence of this type of 
Tracheates in the New World by a brief notice which appeared in 
the Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History, Vol. 
XVI, p. 111, 1873, which read as follows: 
“For nearly two years we have had in the Museum of the Pea- 
body Academy of Science a specimen of Scolopendrella, detected 
September 8, by Mr. C. A. Walker, under a board in the grounds 
of the museum. It is nearly related to Scolopendrella tmmaculata 
Newport, and if new may be called S. americana. Of the remark” 
able features in the structure of this animal I do not now propos® 
to speak. It has, however, in the head and antenne a strong T° 
! The structure, affinities and species of Scolopendrella, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. Phil., 
1881, p. 79. 
