ABEANCTIIA. 



3U7 



The Antilles possess a large one, which inhabits a tube of the consistence of leather. The PAyUodoee maxillosa, 

 Ranzani, named Polyodante by Reinieri, and Eumolpe maxima, Oken, appear to be nearly allied, having the 

 Bame trunk and jaws, ami neither genus bavin? perhaps been desei ibi'cl from perfect specimens. Many species 

 of Annelides remain, which have been too imperfectly described to admit of their being characterized ; and the 

 Myrianc, and two or three other genera of M. Savigny, must remain to be examined anew. 



Finally, we place here a new and very singular genus, which I name 



Ch.etopterus. 



Mouth with neither jaws nor trunk, hut furnished above with a lip, to which three small tentacles 

 are attached. A disk then follows with nine pairs of feet, after which is a pair of long silky bundles 

 like two wings. The lamina-formed gills are attached more towards the upper surface than the lower, 



and range along the middle of the body. 



[Here also ought probably to be placed the genus 

 Peripatiu of Guilding, founded upon a West Indian 

 species, which burrows in the sand, and which has 

 much perplexed naturalists as to its relations. Hy 

 Guilding it was considered as molluscous; by .Mac 

 Leay as forming the passage between the Iulid<e and 

 the annulose annelidous worms; whilst Gray (Z<»><l . 

 Mite. p. 0) asserts that it is annelidous, and connects 

 Nereu with Lumbricus.] 



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Fig. 205. — Peripatus luliformii. 



THE THIRD ORDER OE THE ANNELIDES,— 



A BRANCH I A,— 



Have no respiratory organ appearing externally, and seem to respire either, as in the 

 Earthworms, over the whole surface of the skin, or, as in the Leeches, by internal cavil 

 Some of them have yet bristles to serve for locomotion, of which others are deprived, and they 

 accordingly fall into two families. 



THE FIRST FAMILY OF THE ABRANCHIA,— 



The Ahranchia Setigera, — 

 Which are provided with silky bristles, comprise the Earthworms and Naidcs of Ltanrcus. 



Tin; Earthworm-. {Lumbricus, Linn.) — 

 Arc characterized by a long, cylindrical body, divided by transverse furrows into a great number of 

 rings, and by a mouth without teeth : they require to he thus subdivided; 



The True Earthworms (Lumbricut t Cnv.) — 



Have neither eves, tentacles, trills, nor cirrhi : a distinct enlargement, particularly during the breeding 

 in, indicates where they attach themselves to one another in the act of copulating. Internally 



they have a straight, wrinkled intestine, and Borne whitish glands towards tin' fore part of the body, 

 to serve i ration. It is certain thai tiny an' hermaphrodite, and ir seems that 



their contact only serves to excite each other to self-fecundation, according to M. Montegne, the 

 eggs descend between the intestine and external envelope, as far as around the rectum, wh 

 hatch, the young crawling out alive by the anus. M. Dufour states, on the contrary, that thej deposit 



.inahc/., us to those of the Leeches. Their nervous chord consists of a series of an infinitude of little 



ganglia, lerrated one againsl another.* 



M. Savigny subdivides them farther into Bnterion, having on each ring four pairs of little brlatles, eight 

 throughout, to » hich bel 



The Common Earthworm i/.. terr ut r i i, Linn.).— This well-known spedet attains to nearly afoot Jn length, with 



•T i D to T«rv in»nv ■ptctes, at M. Savignr Ant obicrvnl. A* numy « tweatj hare I ch»rmcfertied. M 



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