21 



fissures of which many Annelids lurk. Moreover, some frequent 

 the tubes of other Annehds, hke the British Polyiioe scolopen- 

 drina in the tubes of Tetehella ucbulosa, or the South African 

 Polynoc atfcniiafa, occur in the ambulacral areas of certain 

 starfishes, or on Echini, between mantle and shell of limpet- 

 like moUusks, or in Balani, m the interior of the basket-like 

 Hexactinellid sponges, in the tissues of these and of horny 

 sponges, in the branchial chamber of Ascidians, and a few are 

 parasitic in the bodies of other Annelids. 



Particular care is necessary in the preservation of Annelids, 

 which should, as a rule, be killed with corrosive sublimate, 

 carefully washed, and then preserved in spirit, which should be 

 changed after a few hours, and again within 24 hours. If the 

 Annelids are large, the change should be repeated in a few days. 

 Those intended for section may be treated with Flemming's, or 

 with Bles's fluid. In any case, it is unsatisfactory to place 

 many in a single bottle, or jar, of spirit. 



When living, a special note should be made of their coloration, 

 the presence of crustacean ectoparasites on their surface, or 

 gills, the colour of their circulatory fluid (red or green), the 

 presence of eggs, in sacs, or otherwise, the issue of sperms, and 

 their habits and movements, both in nature and in confinement. 



One of the most interesting features in Dr. Gilchrist's collec- 

 tion is the occurrence of so many European annelids at the 

 Cape, and of others which can scarcely be distinguished from 

 well-known European representatives. Moreover, some of these 

 stretch far eastwards to the Indian and Pacific seas on the one 

 hand, and on the other are found to the westward and the American 

 shores, for instance, from Canada to Cape Horn. These 

 Invertebrates seem to be independent of the laws which govern 

 the distribution of such forms as the food-fishes, for instance, 

 the common Gadoids,which prefer the colder waters of the north, 

 yet there is a remarkable coincidence in the complete identity — 

 even to their crustacean parasites — of annelids frequenting the 

 widely distant littoral belts of Britain and South Africa. Nor 

 is this community confined to one group of Invertebrates, for, 

 amongst others, Mr. Stebbing* has noticed similar features in 

 regard to the Crustacea. These and other facts lead to the 

 belief that in the sandy bays of South Africa the hardy plaice 

 of the North Sea might live and flourish in a noteworthy 

 manner ; nor would there be more difficulty in its transport 

 than in the case of Australia. The Turbot, Conger, Whiting 

 and Sole might also be useful additions. In anv case, and as 

 might be expected, it would appear that the laws which govern 

 the distribution of land animals do not hold for all of the 

 marine. The contrast, for instance, between the mammals and 



* South African Crustacea, Part II., p. i., 1902. 



