NOTES ON MILLIPEDES. 9 



Families Spirostreptidie and Sjnrobolidce. 



The Millipedes of these two families are numerous in the 

 East Indies both in species and individuals ; they may be thus 

 distinguished : — Spirostreptidce, first three segments with a pair 

 of legs each, fourth legless. Spirobolidce, first four segments 

 with a pair of legs each. The collector will soon get to know 

 the form of eye characteristic of each family, a useful way of 

 distinguishing them, but not infallible, some species having eyes 

 of intermediate shape. 



Family Spirostreptidce. 

 Genus Spirostreptus. 



Ventral grooves short ; distance between eyes about equal 

 to half the long diameter of an eye. 



7. Spirostreptus vittatus. Newport. 



Pocock has given a coloured figure and description of this 



species : — 



Max Weber. Zool. Ergebnisse III. p. 887, plate xxi. h'o\ 8 

 (1894). 



This is a very handsome creature when alive, coloured in 

 alternate bands of black and red-brown. When walking it 

 carries the head low. and the antennae are constantly employed 

 feeling everything the animal approaches. Each leg seems to 

 move independently, thus crossing each other in walking, and 

 apparently impeding any rapid motion. They are usually found 

 in jungle, crawling on free trunks or on the ground, in the 

 middle of the day. quite fearless of any enemy, and as far as 

 my experience goes submit quietly to be picked up by a col- 

 lector. I have found them on Penang Hill from 1100 to 2500 

 feet elevation (March and Nov. '06), near Chumar, Perak 

 (Dec. '00), and on the Kuala Kaugsa Pass, Perak (May '98); 

 this last was the largest specimen I have seen measuring in total 

 length 9| inches (— 248 mm.). 



I also obtained a Spirostreptus of this, or an allied species, 

 at Kulim, Kedah, in 1895 ; and two specimens near Muok Lek, 

 900 feet elevation, in the Doug Phya Phai. Siam, in Nov. 1897. 



