552 NOTES ON AUSTRALIAN EARTHWORMS, 



about vi to x 4 mm.), and most annulate in the region of 

 about the anterior thirteen, where except for about the first five, 

 the mesenteries are enormously thick and muscular : hence when 

 excessively contracted this region is olive-shaped, and thicker than 

 elsewhere. At first on account of the numerous zonitic markings 

 the first fifteen or sixteen segments are somewhat difficult to count 

 from external observation only. All these segments, except the 

 first, are divided into two well-marked primary annuli ; after the 

 third segment they are further sub-divided into four secondary 

 annuli ; ix and the next few segments may shew slight traces 

 of a further subdivision of the posterior annuli ; still further back 

 the segments shew less distinctly four annuli, but there are slight 

 variations in different specimens. 



The male pores are situated on two papilla? on segment xviii, 

 the papillae dove-tailing in between the ends of two transverse, 

 parallel, glandular ridges, one on the anterior ventral margin of 

 xviii, and the other in a similar position on xix, but both extending 

 some way on to the adjacent segments ; usually there is a depression 

 between the ridges, but sometimes this is absent, and the papilla? 

 may more or less completely fuse with one or both ridges so as to 

 give rise to a more or less complete glandular patch. One specimen 

 26 cm. long shows no ridges, and the pores are indistinct. In 

 others these ridges appear to be the only trace of a clitellum, but 

 in reality they are something superadded to it. 



It is easy enough at Burrawang in winter time when my speci- 

 mens were collected, to find worms of three species with well- 

 developed clitella, and it is very exceptional to find adult specimens 

 of them without this structure. It was therefore puzzling to find so 

 many of the largest worms apparently without any clitellum except 

 the ridges I have mentioned ; but as Professor McCoy had described 

 something similar iu the Grippsland worm, I thought at the time 

 that possibly the worms belonged to the same genus, as I had not 

 then been able to investigate the matter. Having now gone carefully 

 over the whole of my material I have found four specimens collected 

 by myself, which shew an undoubted clitellum, still better shewn 



