698 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XVIII. 



night the worms come to the surface and may be seen in huge numbers climb- 

 ing and writhing around the stems of plants. 



The worm is of course unsegmental, but differs from other Nematodes in that 

 it has no anus. 



Gordius. 



Another of these worms that has been said to fall in showers is Gordius. It 

 is often suddenly seen in puddles where formerly it passed unnoticed. The 

 obvious inference of the untutored savage is that they have fallen with 

 the rain that made the puddles. Several of the worms are often found wound 

 together in a tangled knot, — whence the name Gordius. 



The male may be readily distinguished by the " tail" end being split. The 

 female genital opening is also at the aboral end. Specimens can often be seen 

 in copulation. 



The Gordians constitute a family and with a single other genus have the 

 honour of forming a complete class by themselves. 



The Nematomorpha. 



This order has no lateral lines and no oral papillae Mermis we have seen 

 has no anus, Gordius has, but is in worse plight as in the younger stages it has no 

 mouth, the gullet being a solid rod — not the least used for eating or even 

 drinking. The gut is straight, as already said, both testis and ovaries discharge 

 their products through a terminal opening and are placed dorsally to the gut. 



After the eggs are laid the little embryo makes its way by the aid of spines 

 on the oral end through the body wall of the larva of a mayfly, midge, alder- 

 fly or " Phemtorce larva." This is the only one stage in this strange eventful 

 history. The midge, mayfly, etc., has to be eaten by a beetle, or perhaps a frog 

 or fish. It is said that even man himself has had the honour of acting as host. 



The larva then devours the whole of the fat-body, and sometimes even the 

 digestive and reproductive organs of his host who is most often a beetle. If the 

 beetle gets drowned or dies near water the worm escapes in the adult condition 

 in which its main duty is to increase and multiply. The number of eggs laid 

 is enormous, and necessarily so, considering how precarious is the life history of 

 the creature. In its struggle for existence, the larva must find the midge, next 

 a suitable beetle must swallow the midge at the proper stage, finally the beetle 

 who is naturally a land liver, must get drowned or die near some fresh water. 



It is a matter for supreme thankfulness that we poor humans lead a less pre- 

 carious existence. Imagine the number of babies we would have to produce, if 

 only those who succeeded in boring their way into a crocodile grew to child- 

 hood, and only those whose crocodile was swallowed by a tiger that died of 

 drowning had a chance of arriving at man's estate ! 



A. POWELL. 



Bombay, March 1908. 



