io6 The Irish Naturalist, June, 



find some suggestive facts. In September, 1897, specimens of 

 a phosphorescent worm were discovered in the garden and 

 lav/n of Mr. T. G. Caink (City Engineer), at Fort Royal, 

 Worcester, England. They emitted a luminous light, similar 

 to that of a glow-worm, but fainter. This luminosity 

 appeared to be existent in every part of the bod}^ also in the 

 evacuated grass or passed earth and slime left by the worm. 

 Specimens were examined by Mr. F. K. Beddard, F.R.S.. who 

 replied thus : — 



' The small earthworm you sent me proves not to belong to 

 an}' genus that is known to be indigenous to this countr}^ 

 It is, so far as I can make out from external characters onl}^ 

 a species of Microscolex. That genus has been found in Italy, 

 but is characteristically New Zealand and South American in 

 range. I cannot, of course, be absolutely positive about the 

 genus without dissecting it, but I can be positive that it is at 

 least very near to that genus. It is a new fact that Microscolex 

 is phosphorescent.' 



Here then we have taken a step forward. In 1843, luminous 

 "worms w^ere reported as occurring in Ireland. In 1853, a 

 similar report was made at Liverpool, and in 1897, again at 

 Worcester. Either these luminous worms were indigenous, 

 or they had been introduced from abroad. But it does not 

 seem likely that foreign w^orms w^ould be found in Irish bogs, 

 or on a lawn in the heart of England. And the argument is 

 in favour of their being indigenous. 



But now arises the question — If they are luminous can they 

 belong to the genus Microscolex? 'It is a new fact,' says 

 Beddard in 1897, ' that Microscolex is phosphorescent.' But 

 the new fact was in reality an old one, as the same writer was 

 shortly afterwards to show in his splendid " Monograph of the 

 Oligochaeta." To go into the whole question of luminosity 

 among annelids would be to write a very long chapter. I 

 have accumulated a vast amount of material on the subject, 

 which will in due course see the light elsewhere. It is 

 sufficient here to say that Microscolex is now known to contain 

 at least one species which is luminous; and there are strong 

 reasons for believing that others are so. Our knowledge of 

 the genus is, however, at present far from being complete, 

 and it is to be hoped that we shall now soon obtain information 

 from Ireland which will help us in our researches. 



