18 SCIENCE PROGRESS 



in Switzerland — " Im Schlamm und zwischen vermodernden 

 Schilfhaufen." This genus evident^ plays a part more 

 nearly related to that of the white-blooded Enchytraeids, and 

 has the terrestrial tendency. 



In Relation to our Water Supply . — There remains one other 

 point of interest to consider. Again and again during the past 

 quarter of a century have I received from medical men, chemists, 

 sanitary officials, naturalists, and others specimens of worms 

 found in tap water at places so distant from each other as 

 King's Lynn, Nottingham, Mildenhall, Worcester, Chelmsford, 

 and the New Forest. In most instances the specimens were un- 

 doubtedly to be referred to Lumbricillus subterraneus Vejd. (10). 

 This worm is about 12 to 18 mm. in length, and usually has 

 the setae arranged in four groups of 5 to 7 in each segment. 

 The originals were obtained from the underground waters of 

 Lille and Prague (11). In 1907 Prof. Gregg Wilson sent a 

 large number of these worms to Mr. Southern (9), " from the 

 sewage works at Belfast, where they occurred in such numbers 

 as to be a serious nuisance." They were also, Southern thinks, 

 of subterranean origin. Further, in April 1908 the same 

 authority found large numbers of this Pachydrilid in a stream 

 at Adlington in Lancashire. " This stream is excessively con- 

 taminated with trade effluents. A preparation of iron and 

 aluminium is used to purify the stream, and this forms a thick 

 gelatinous layer on the bed of the river. This layer is crowded 

 with vast numbers of this worm, accompanied by Tubifex, 

 Limnodrilus, and a species of the Nematode genus Mermis." 



A Note on Well-Worms. — In order that we may not be thrown 

 off our guard in this study it is desirable to bear in mind that 

 there are quite a number of other worms found from time to 

 time in wells, taps, and drinking water at home and abroad. 

 Many years ago I described one of these as Diachaeta curvi- 

 setosa. It has since been shown that the genus is Haplotaxis. 

 We have two species of this genus in England, viz. H. gor- 

 dioides found by me at Hastings, and often recorded in Europe ; 

 and H. curvisetosa, hitherto found only in Essex. While resident 

 some years ago in East Anglia I obtained specimens of another 

 waterworm from wells at Mildenhall in Suffolk. They were 

 very similar to our Pachydrilids, but belonged to no known 

 genus of British worms, and up till the present remain unde- 

 scribed. Finally I have to report the somewhat frequent occur- 



