211 



GASTROTRICHA. 



By James Murray, F.R.S.E. 



Communicated by D. J. Scourjield. 

 {Bead October 28th, 1913.) 



Plate 19. 



INTRODUCTION. 



I have been reluctant to attempt an introduction to the study 

 of the Gastrotricha, since my knowledge of the group is by no 

 means profound, and such as it is has been only recently acquired. 

 Jt is a group which has now reached such dimensions that it is 

 desirable there should be in the English language some sort of 

 synopsis of our present knowledge, and as there appears to be no 

 one else in the field to supply this want, I shall here do the best 

 I can. 



The main part of this paper is an annotated bibliography, 

 which I hope will save students much of the trouble I have had. 

 It is difficult to hit a just mean between giving too much and tco 

 little. If too comprehensive and not annotated, a bibliography 

 rather hinders than helps by making the mass of works to be 

 consulted seem too great. A work is judged by its title to be one 

 that must be consulted, and after much labour is found to be of 

 no importance. I had a long search for a new genus and species, 

 Gastrochaeta ciliata, described by Grimm, before I found that the 

 name occurred in a mere list, in Russian, without a figure, 

 and that in a footnote all the comparison made was with species 

 of Desmoscolex, which belongs to a quite different group of 

 worms (25). 



If the bibliography is too condensed the student is always 

 liable to suspect that a work omitted from it has not come to the 

 knowledge of the compiler. Such things frequently happen. I 

 have here tried to keep a proper balance. All important 



