THE BIONOMICS OF ENGLISH OLIGOCHiETA 19 



rence in the neighbourhood of the New Forest, especially at 

 Ringwood, of yet another worm known as Rhynchelmis. 

 It is not at present definitely recorded for any other part of 

 England, though Beddard has an impression that he once saw 

 it at Oxford. It is, however, abundant in certain parts of 

 Europe, and has been carefully studied. It gets into tap 

 water from the reservoirs. 



The foregoing must suffice as typical illustrations, drawn 

 from a vast amount of material and long years of study, to 

 show how numerous and widespread the Pachydrilids are, how 

 closely they are associated with decomposing animal and 

 vegetable matter, and how great a force, either for good or 

 evil, they may prove to be. Naturally the question of questions 

 is — " What is their role? Are they beneficent or injurious ? 

 Are they scavengers pure and simple, or can they be suspected 

 of doing harm, especially if they are unconsciously swallowed 

 by one who is drinking water from the main or the well ? " 

 To this matter we devote our concluding remarks. 



Pachydrilus and the Human Body. — Medical men and 

 chemists are from time to time shown strange things which are 

 said to have passed through the stomachs of human beings, 

 or to have found a temporary lodgment there. On more than 

 one occasion Enchytraeids have been submitted to me with 

 the assurance that they have been vomited or voided, and the 

 question has arisen — Was it possible that they had been taken 

 into the system either as eggs or after they had been hatched ; 

 and if so had they been swallowed with the drinking water 

 or taken in with some vegetable or salad from the garden ? 



In each instance the following facts are to be noted : (i) The 

 observation was open to suspicion . The contents of the stomach 

 may have been allowed to come into contact with the soil, or 

 may have been discharged into a receptacle which contained 

 vegetable or earthy matter. The vomit may have been left 

 to stand for a time in some situation which enabled the ubiqui- 

 tous annelids to gain admission, and in any of these cases the 

 presence of Enchytraeids would not be remarkable. 



(ii) Water might be passed into receptacles which were 

 unclean, and again it would not be matter for surprise if minute 

 worms were discovered in it. 



(hi) There is at present before me no evidence to show that 

 red-blooded worms (Pachydrilids) have ever been found under 



