534 NOTES ON AUSTRALIAN EARTHWORMS, 



Here worms, judging by the abundance of the castings, are 

 individually as numerous as at Burrawang. As there was no 

 ploughing going on, 1 was dependent on digging for a supply of 

 specimens, which I found on subsequent examination to belong to 

 three species. One of these is a perichsete worm at present not 

 known to me from any other locality, and which I have named 

 Perichceta Coxii, after Mr. J. D. Cox, from whoin I first heard of 

 the existence of earthworms at Mount Wilson, and to whose 

 kindness and hospitality I owe the opportunity of collecting 

 specimens there. This seems to be the most abundant worm at 

 Mount Wilson, and is to be found not only in the soil on the top 

 of the mount, but also in the gullies about the base of it consi- 

 derably below the level of the basaltic capping, wherever the soil 

 washed down from the high ground, and mixed with the decaying 

 vegetable matter, forms a rich compost. The second is also a 

 perichsete worm of which I obtained only a few specimens, 

 which appear to be a variety of a species (P . austi'alis), which 

 I found more abundantly at Burrawang, and of which stunted 

 specimens are to be met with in the poor soil about Sydney. 

 Of the third species I obtained only a single, young specimen, 

 also a perichsete worm, which differs from the others, among 

 other things, in having four pairs of spermathecse instead of 

 Wo. The only other Australian worms with a like number of 

 spermathecae that I know of, are in the Macleay Museum, and 

 came from Queensland, and have not yet been described. (1) I 

 therefore postpone the consideration of the third Mt. Wilson 

 species until I can obtain a further supply of specimens. I heard 

 of larger worms than any I obtained, and these perhaps may also 

 be new. 



Surface castings abound every where, in the open, under and at 

 the sides of prostrate logs, at the base of walls of rock, and under 

 overhanging ledges, and this both on the summit of the mount 



( 1 ) Since the above was in type I have found two specimens of a small 

 perichaete worm with four pairs of spermathecse, at Seven Hills near 

 Parramatta. 



