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XVI. On the external Anatomy and Natural History of the Genus of Annelida named 
Palolo by the Samoans and Tonguese, and Mbalolo by the Fijians. By Joux DENIS 
MACDONALD, Assistant-Surgeon of H.M.S. * Herald,’ employed on Surveying Service 
in the South-western Pacific, under the Command of Captain H. M. DexHam, R.N., 
FRS. Communicated by G. Busk, F.R.S., F.L.S. 
Read December 3rd, 1857. 
On the examination of specimens of a remarkable Annelidan, obtained at the Navigator 
Islands (Samoa), and presented to the British Museum by the Rev. J. B. Stair, Dr. Gray 
founded a new genus, which he called Palolo, adopting the native name of the animal. 
It is thus characterized :— 
* Body eylindrical separated into equal joints, each joint with a small tuft of three or 
four spicula on the middle of each side. Head? Last joint ending in a couple of ten- 
tacles. Eggs globular. 
* Palolo viridis, n. sp. Green, with a row of round black spots down the middle of the 
dorsal? surface; one spot on the middle of each joint.— Habitat. Navigator's Islands.” 
Dr. Gray found his specimens so mutilated, that he could not detect à single head 
amongst all the broken pieces; and consequently this essential part remained without 
description. He seems to refer his want of success in this respect to mere casualty. It 
is very remarkable, however, that we at first experienced the same difficulty, and only 
obtained a single head, though we carefully examined considerable numbers of this 
- species in the Fiji Group, where it makes its short annual appearance at a period which 
the natives predict with unerring precision by observing the phases of the moon, as at 
Samoa. The comparison of specimens from both these localities proves them to be speci- 
fically identical; moreover, the Fijian name for the animal is Mbalolo, Mb in that 
language being substituted for the Samoan P. 
The great antiquity of this name is attested by the fact, that the parts of the year 
nearly corresponding with our months of October and November are respectively named 
Mbalolo lailai (little), amd Mbalolo levu (large). The latter, as its name implies,, 16 
distinguished by the appearance of the Mbalolo in such vast numbers, that it is collected 
by the natives as a dainty article of food, and is so much prized that formal presents of 
it are often sent considerable distances, from certain chiefs, to others whose oe 
nions do not happen to be visited by the Möalolo. The Fijians entertain supers’ tb! 
ideas connected with it; but further notice of these would be foreign to our present - 
purpose. ee es Rp = a et | 
Reverting to the separation or absence of the anterior extremity of the Mich (e 
first noticed by Dr. Gray, and subsequently by us, in the specimens including ditteren 
species) at the regular period of visitation, this ra is too remarkable iud upon 
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