DESCRIPTIONS OF EARTHWORMS. 249 



poucli, named by Beddard » prostatic gland." This organ, 

 occupying about 7 segments, has nearly the same breadth 

 over its whole length, only in its middle it is somewhat 

 constricted and opens by a short, narrow duct on the 

 cushion-shaped bursa copulatrix. Its wall has a nacreous 

 appearance and consists of a thick external layer of lon- 

 gitudinal muscular fibres and a thinner internal layer of 

 circular ones; this body, as stated by Perrier, though agreeing 

 in its situation with the prostatic gland of other Lumbri- 

 cidae, wants the glandular structure of that organ and 

 therefore I believe it may by no means be identified with 

 it. Since Beddard found the duct of this tube being con- 

 tinuous with the curved penis, it rather may be called 

 ductus ejaculatorius. I also found the curious Y-shaped 

 body, described by Perrier and Beddard , on the dorsal side 

 of the bursa copulatrix. 



The form of the male genital organs of our specimens 

 quite agrees with the description and figure of these bodies 

 in E. Boyeri, given by Beddard; on the contrary Perrier 

 states , that the species he examined possessed only a 

 single vas deferens on each side , and that this duct 

 opened directly into the bursa copulatrix and not into the 

 ductus ejaculatorius. I cannot suppose that there should 

 exist such great differences , in respect of the structure of 

 the male genital organs, between Perrier's and our West- 

 Indian specimens , which quite agree with those from New 

 Caledonia; and therefore I believe that Perrier has been 

 mistaken in his observations. 



The structure of the female genital organs is no less 

 remarkable. They consist of a long , tubular pouch , the 

 spermatheca , which is folded together in a longitudinal 

 direction, parallel with the intestine, and opens unto the 

 exterior by a muscular duct, situated perpendicularly on 

 the remaining part of this body ; with this efferent duct 

 communicates another narrow, twisting tube , furnished at 

 its aboral extremity with a small oval protuberance. In 

 front of the last tube a small globular sac opens likewise 



Notes from the Ley den IMCuseuizi, "Vol. IX.. 



