886 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Circulatory Apparatus. — The circulatory apparatus is nearly- 

 identical with that described by Budge in Clepsine ; but the vascular 

 loops of the head advance further in front of the eyes. 



Nervous System. — The nervous system nearly agrees with that 

 described by Baudelot in Clepsine. The sub-a3Sophageal portion 

 of the collar results from a more considerable grouping, and 

 the terminal mass of the chain from a smaller grouping than in 

 Clepsine. The number of large cells contained in the vesicles 

 attached to the ganglion is less than figured by Baudelot. 



In short, Batracliobdella approaches the Glossiplionim or Clepsinoe 

 by its nervous system and circulatory apparatus, while the general 

 arrangement of the genital organs is rather that which is found in 

 Ponhdellce or Pontobdellce ; and the digestive apparatus, although 

 presenting a trunk as in Clepsine, differs from what is seen in all the 

 other Hirudiueoe by the arrangement of the caeca and presence of a 

 hepatic swelling. 



New Alciopid.* — In describing the eighth species of this interest- 

 ing group which is now known to constitute a portion of the Mediter- 

 ranean fauna. Dr. liichard Greef calls attention to the great size of 

 the dorsal lamellar cirri of Alciopa Krolmii ; the dorsal, as well as the 

 ventral cirri, are not rounded, but are continued into an elongated 

 conical ti}). As in the other species of the genus, and in connection 

 with its pelagic mode of life, the whole body is transparent, the only 

 exception being the red eyes beneath the first pair of dorsal cirri, and 

 the lateral brown glands, which are so situate as to be with difficulty 

 visible ; the eyes are also separated considerably from one another, 

 owing to the great breadth of the cephalic region. The muscular 

 supply of the parapodia is exceedingly well developed, inasmuch as 

 four powerful muscles pass out, on either side, from the inner face of 

 the body-wall to these organs and break up in the cirri ; one of these 

 pairs passes so close to the ganglion as to be easily mistaken for 

 a nerve-cord. 



In the characters of its nervous system and of its sensory organs 

 this new species agrees very generally with the other Alciopids. 

 Special organs which appear to belong to the " segmental " series 

 are very briefly mentioned ; they form cellular tubes, very similar to 

 racemose glands, and lie, coiled in the body-cavity, on either side of 

 the enteric tube, while they give off a canal which appears to pass 

 into the body ; unfortunately, the author was unable to make out 

 either their external or their internal orifices. 



Organization and Classification of the Orthoneetida.f — Profes- 

 sor A. Griard has now completed his researches on this important group 

 of Vermes, his discovery of which was announced in a preliminary 

 paj)er published in 1877, | reproduced in this Journal. 



1. Bhopalura opliiocomce. — For the generic description and mode 

 of occurrence of this species we refer to the abstract just mentioned. 



* ' Mittb. Zool. Stat. Neapel,' i. (1879) p. 448. 



t ' Joiiru. Auat. et Pliys.,' xv. (.1879) p. 449, also 'Comptes Rendua,' Ixxxix 

 (1879) p. 545. 



X ' Comptes Reudus,' October 29, 1877 ; see this Journal, i. (1878) p. 23. 



