BY THOS. STEEL. G25 



am of the opinion that Dendy was correct in his identification, 

 and that Graff has fallen into an error in re-naming the species. 



Darwin is clearly speaking of the dorsal surface as a whole 

 when he says in his description : — " Colour dirty 'honey-yellow,' 

 with a central dark brown line bordered on each side with a 

 broader line of pale ' umber-brown.' " So that we have here a 

 description of a worm having a dirt}' honey-yellow dorsal surface 

 margined by broad umber-brown stripes, and with a dark brown 

 median line (PI. xli., fig. 3). This description tallies exactly with 

 the larger proportion of the specimens of this species which I 

 have seen, as do also the arrangement of the eyes, the 

 dimensions of the body, and the position of the orifices, as stated 

 by Darwin. Graff has evidently misread this description, for he 

 refers to G. Tasmaniana as having one band or stripe, whereas 

 Darwin very plainly mentions three. 



Dendy (loc. cit.) speaks of there being five dorsal lines or 

 bands, comprised of the median line, lateral bands and marginal 

 stripes, and states that on preservation in spirit the margins of 

 the dorsal surface with their stripes become turned in to form 

 lateral surfaces. In my experience the above marginal stripes 

 should more properly be spoken of as submarginal, for they are 

 distinctly situated in the living animal just beneath the dorsal 

 edge, and indeed I should without hesitation have termed them 

 ventro-marginal. I shall, however, speak of them in the sequel 

 as submarginal. Certainly the species is somewhat variable in 

 its markings, the narrow submarginal stripes not being constantly 

 present, while the broad lateral bands are most erratic in their 

 extent. I possess a series of specimens, in some of which not 

 only are the submarginal stripes quite absent, but the lateral 

 bands are also suppressed save for about one-third of the length 

 of the body at the anterior end, the remainder of the dorsal 

 surface, with the exception of the dark median line, which is a 

 constant character, being of a speckled colour, which is exactly 

 expressed by Darwin's term "dirty honey-yellow." This form 

 bears a good deal of resemblance to the Australian species G. 

 ornata, Fletch. & Hamil. In others the lateral bands are br< »adened 



