950 RECOBD OF CURKENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



found in young specimens, and it may be of interest to add that 

 Arenicola especially lends itself to tliese investigations. 



Spirorhis communis is to be added to the few species of Polychseta 

 which are, as yet, known to be hermaphrodite. The author thinks 

 that further investigations will show that the same is true of many 

 other species of that genus. 



Not much is known as to the mode of oviposition. Terehella 

 conchilega extrudes its ova one by one ; after a little it changes its 

 place, turns over on to the other side, and lays more ; it probably 

 lays its eggs in different places. Many, and esiDCcially the Opheliadae, 

 deposit their eggs in gelatinous masses, in the centre of which there 

 is a water-tube. In this case it appears probable that the male 

 afterwards visits the ova, and that the sperm passes in by this tube. 



The second chapter of this very elaborate paper (which extends 

 altogether over 144 pages, and is illustrated by ten plates) deals 

 with the Terebellidfe, and the parts discussed are arranged in 

 sections as follows: — (1) The animal; body; organs of nutrition; 

 (2) organs of excretion and reproduction, organ of Bojauus, seg- 

 mental organs, ovary and testis. The third chapter deals with 

 the Opheliada?, in which a few remarks are made on the history 

 of their development. The fourth chapter deals with the Chteto- 

 pterini ; the next with the SerpulidaB, of which Sabella arenilega 

 and Myxicola modesta were chiefly studied. The sixth chapter, 

 dedicated to the Cljmenidae, is especially occupied with Clymenia 

 zostericola, which ajjpears to be abundant at Koscoff. The Pecti- 

 naridfe occupy the seventh chapter ; the Hermellidga the eighth. 

 In the introduction to this the author repeats that, for the purpose 

 of distinctly seeing the segmental organs, it is necessary to have 

 living specimens. The second part of the essay deals with the Errant 

 Annelids, of which four families only were studied. The repre- 

 sentatives of these were Hermione, Sthcnelais, Cirratulus, Nereis, and 

 Marphysa. 



The author would seem to be much impressed by the way in 

 which the organs examined differ in different species. 



Copulatory Organs of Microphthalmus.* — Dr. Bobretzky, in 

 describing the se organs, states that M. fragilis and M. similis, the two 

 species found at Sebastopol, are both hermaphrodite, and that the 

 male sexual products are exclusively developed in the segments of 

 the anterior, and the female in those of the posterior half of the body. 

 These annelids are also characterized by the fact that their coelom is 

 more or less completely filled up by connective tissue ; when we find 

 an animal with the sexual j)roducts matured, we may see two male 

 copulatory organs, which are attached to the body at the point of 

 union of the second and third setigerous segments ; each consists of 

 two fleshy lips, with a median penial papilla, at the centre of which 

 there is placed the orifice of the vas deferens. This duct has a 

 ciliated internal orifice ; the ripe zoosperms chiefly become collected 

 together at the sides of the enteric canal. In each segment of the 



* 'Zool. Anzeig.,' iii. (1880) p. 139. 



