950 NOTES ON AUSTRALIAN EARTHWORMS, 



of the two vasa deferentia joining the prostatic ducts quite 

 close to the prostates ; a pair of small flattened slightly lobulated 

 prostates in xviii or in this and xix, with a straight or bent genital 

 duct ; a pair of ovaries occupying the usual position in xiii ; a 

 pair of oviducts having the usual relations ; and two pairs of 

 spermathecae, a pair in vni, and a second in ix — the former in the 

 second segment behind that containing the second gizzard — each 

 spermatheca is an elongate narrow sac [hardly pear-shaped] the 

 proximal portion for a short distance somewhat bent, with only a 

 \ery rudimentary caecum ; in one specimen they lay backwards 

 across the width of the segment and were folded on themselves, 

 the distal portions somewhat pear-shaped but not of much greater 

 diameter. 



The vacant lower and lateral portions of the body-cavity 

 of segments x and XI were occupied by large white masses 

 consisting of developing and fully developed spermatozoa ; but I 

 am at present undecided as to whether they were independent of the 

 ciliated rosettes or whether they were enclosed with these in 

 a thin membranous sac. Behind the genital duct on each side 

 are two narrow sacs lying close together, running outwards and 

 backwards, their outer ends attached to the body- wall just behind 

 the prostate, their inner ends close to the proximal portion of the 

 genital duct ; each of tliem contains two long curved penial setae, 

 which close to the pointed end are slightly swollen and studded 

 with minute spinose projections ; the tips are cleft, one of the 

 divisions being straight the other curved, so as to present a some- 

 what chelate appearance (fig. 3). In all my specimens these setae 

 were retracted, so that there was no trace of them visible on the 

 exterior ; and it was not until I put one of the sacs under the 

 microscope that I made the unexpected discovery of the presence 

 ol such setae. Perrier makes no mention of them in his description 

 of D. lumhricoides, but whether they are absent in that species, or 

 whether, owing to the indifferent condition of his material they 

 escaped his notice, remains to be seen. Similar setaeare characteristic 

 of the genus Acanthodrilus ; from any species of which, however, 



