126 The Irish Naturalist, [May, 



materials for my former studies. To these and to any new 

 workers who would like to send me material, a few hints may 

 bd permitted. Where, it may be asked, shall specimens be 

 sought ? We answer, everywhere ! The smaller worms are 

 ubiquitous. Being in the neighbourhood of a village in Cum- 

 berland the other day, I saw a little gutter flowing on to a 

 piece of waste land. Here some dirty straw and vegetable 

 matter was being saturated with the ooze, a handful of which 

 I picked up, wrapped in paper, and carried home. To my 

 surprise I found that the dirty straws were crowded with a 

 beautiful little red worm new to science, hundreds of which 

 crawled forth from their hiding-place or hunting-ground when 

 the material was laid upon an old dish. The ooze on the 

 margins of ponds, ditches, lakes, and estuaries should be 

 examined, also the roots of grasses and plants in and near the 

 water's edge, the moss and plants on damp rocks or dripping 

 ledges, or wherever there is moisture. Mr. Trumbull has sent 

 me a species, which is probably new to science, from a decay- 

 ing elm tree, and I have found other species in decaying leaves, 

 among debris, manure, and even in water- tanks, springs and 

 wells. They are usually small, and may be easily overlooked, 

 but a little practice will make collecting easy. 



Most specimens may be sent with a small quantity of the 

 earth, or water, moss, leaves, or debris among which they are 

 found, and should either be placed in tubes, bottles, or tin 

 boxes with damp moss. Care should be taken so to pack them 

 that they will not be subject to battering in transit, or the 

 delicate creatures will probably arrive quite dead and un- 

 recognizable. It is of the utmost importance that as many 

 species as possible should be studied in a living condition, as 

 it is only by this means that many of the difficulties relating 

 to the aquatic species can be cleared up. 



I will now give an account of those worms which, through 

 the kindness of Mr. Trumbull, I have been able to examine. 

 They were collected at Malahide, April ist, 1896, and it is 

 important to note the date when collections are made because 

 all worms do not mature at the same time, and we are anxious 

 to ascertain what season of the year yields the best results in 

 the matter of adult forms. Take for example — 



Lumbrlculus varlegratus, Muller. — I have never yet seen this in 

 its advilt stage, and Beddard says that the reproductive organs have not 



