Art. IV. — Further Descriptions of Australian Earth- 

 ivornis, Part I. 



By BALDWIN SPENCER, M.A., C.M.Z.S., 



Professor of Biology in the University of Melbourne. 



(With Plates IV.-XII.) 



[Read 19th April, 1900]. 



Since the previous publication by Mr. Fletcher and myself of 

 descriptions of Australian earthworms, Mr. Beddard has published 

 his extensive and valuable monograph dealing with the Oligo- 

 chaeta, and, for the sake of convenience, I have adopted in this 

 paper the generic names used by him. 



The present communication deals with specimens collected in 

 Queensland and Victoria, and includes a description of 37 new 

 species. Of these, seven belong to the genus Megascolides, three 

 to Cryptodrilus, thirteen to Diporochaeta, nine to Megascolex, 

 and three to Digaster, while, in the case of two species, it has 

 been found necessary to form new genera, for which the names 

 Trichaeta and Diplotrema are proposed. 



For valuable assistance in collecting, I am indebted to Messrs. 

 C, French, C. Frost, Dudley Le Souef, T. Steel, J. Shephard, 

 C. M. Maplestone, H. T. Tisdall, G. B. Pritchard, J. H. Fardy, 

 R. A. O'Brien, and W. Mann. 



The earthworm fauna of Australia is peculiarly rich, but at 

 present our knowledge of it is alipost entirely confined to 

 specimens collected in the eastern coastal districts, and the 

 present classification can only be regarded as a temporary one. 



In this descriptive notice only macroscopic characters are 

 dealt with. Miss G. Sweet and Miss A. M. Lambert have been 

 recently engaged in research, in the Biological Laboratory of the 

 Melbourne University, into the structure respectively of the 

 sperm iducal glands and associated structures and the nephridia. 

 A paper upon the former by Miss Sweet, containing much 



