Smith. — Notes on New Zealand Eartlncorms. 135 



mounted entire in Canada balsam, some of the orifices of the 

 sexual ducts were quite conspicuous. One of three such pre- 

 parations which I have shows the external pore of the oviducts, 

 and of the posterior pair of vasa deferentia : in all three cases 

 the orifices are situated on a line with and in front of the 

 ventral setae ; the oviducal pores are placed further forward 

 than the male pore — in fact, on the intersegmental furrow." 



The following summary to Mr. Beddard's paper is given by 

 that gentleman as specially characteristic of the genus 

 Phreoryctes :- — 



"1. The body is extremely elongated, sometimes reaching 

 a foot in length, while the diameter is very small. 



"2. The prostomium is divided into two by a transverse 

 furrow. 



" 3. The seta are simple, not bifid ; they are disposed in 

 four rows of single setas, or of pairs of setae. 



" 4. ■■'• There are no genital or penial seta. 



"5. "The clitellum occupies three to four segments from 

 the tenth to the thirteenth ; its epidermis is formed by a 

 layer of glandular cells, differing from the epidermis of the 

 general body-surface by their glandular character and greater 

 length. 



" 6. The structure of the longitudinal muscles. 



"7. "The nephridia commence in the sexually-mature 

 worm in the sixteenth segment. 



" 8. There are two pairs of testes, in the tenth and eleventh 

 segments. 



" 9. Two pairs of vasa deferentia opening into the exterior 

 upon the eleventh and twelfth segments in front of the ventral 

 setas, and opening by wide, simple (not plicated) funnels into 

 the tenth and eleventh segments. 



" 10. Two pairs of ovaries in segments xii. and xiii. 



"11. Two pairs of oviducts opening into the exterior on 

 segments xiii. and xiv., near to the lower line between 

 these segments, and the one in front on a line with the 

 ventral setae. The oviducts open by wide simple funnels into 

 the interior of segments xii. and xiii. The structure of 

 these organs is exactly that of the vasa deferentia. 



" 12. Both series of the ducts have the distal region lined 

 with a chitinous membrane indicating (?) their origin from an 

 octodermic invagination. 



"13. ::: The developing spermatozoa are contained in sperm- 

 sacs, which occupy segments ix. to xiv. (about). 



14. ::: The ova, which are when adult of very large size, 



i i 



* The asterisks signify that the statements to which they are ap- 

 pended were made for the first time in the paper from which this 

 abstract is taken. 



