128 The Irish Naturalist. [May, 



Hemitublfex Benedll (DTJd.). — Here again, owing to the imperfect 

 state of our knowledge, and the number of synonyms, I am somewhat in 

 doubt. This is just the worm which I should have named Tubifex papillostis^ 

 and such is thenamegiventoaspeciesbyClaparMe which Beddard (p. 261) 

 places under the above heading. It is a wonderfully interesting worm, 

 with capilliform and forked setae, length about one inch, the first third 

 of the body being about three times as thick as the posterior part. Head 

 very small compared with the segments containing the organs of genera- 

 tion ; about 70 segments in all. The body entirely covered with papillae. 

 Beddard says the papillae are wanting on the clitellum of H. Benedii. I 

 could not, however, find a girdle on my specimens, and as we find setae 

 wanting on the girdle of many worms when they are adult which possess 

 them invariably in a younger stage, possibly the girdle of this worm 

 discards its papillae when it becomes adult. This is a point for further 

 observation. The capilliform and forked setae alike extend through the 

 whole extremity of the worm's body, the capilliform setae being in the 

 dorsal bundles only. As many as nine or ten capilliform setse in the 

 anterior bundles, but six or eight is the most usual number, gradually 

 decreasing till at the posterior extremity there is usually only one. 

 Dilating hearts in segments 7 and 8 ; the dark cells of the oesophagus 

 beginning in segment 5. The forked setae of the under-side sigmoid, 

 much curved, the outer tooth being smaller than the inner one. While 

 the outer tooth goes almost straight forward, the inner tooth is greatly 

 curved. Blood red ; body-segments composed of prominent annuli, three 

 or more to each segment. 



In addition to the foregoing I found among the gleanings 

 part of a very pretty lumbriculid about two inches in length, 

 but as the head and important segments were missing I cannot 

 be sure of the species. A later consignment included a white 

 worm found in an old decaying elm tree, which I have no 

 doubt is a new species of Fridcricia. The brain, spermathecse, 

 and setse are all so well-marked and characteristic that I pro- 

 pose to describe it for the Irish Academy under the name of 

 Ftidericia ulmicola. These preliminary remarks will, I trust, 

 suffice to show how interesting a field lies open here for any 

 one who wishes to pursue a new course of investigations. 



