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condition of the spermatophores ; many of them look precisely as if 

 the alcohol had fixed them while in a writhing state ; indeed I can 

 hardly doubt from their appearance that this is so. Like those of the 

 genera Tuhifex etc., the spermatophores of Polytoreutus are of various 

 shapes and sizes. In every case however they are at least four or five 

 times the diameter of the extremely slender spermatophores of P. ma~ 

 gilensis. They vary from short oval bodies to long cylinders coiled re- 

 gularly upon themselves several times. The form however was always 

 regular and cylindrical. I noticed no spermatophores of the irregular 

 and varying diameter of some of those of Tuhifex figured by Vej- 

 dovsky (''System u. Morph, d. OHg.", 1884. PL X, fig. 16). There 

 was no appreciable increase of diameter at the "head" end. There was 

 however very often an aperture to be detected. There is some little 

 divergence of opinion as to the minute structure of the spermatophores 

 of Tuhifex. But there is no dispute as to the comparative com- 

 plexity of the minute structure of these singular bodies. I find that in 

 Polijtoreictus violaceus and its near ally, the new species to which I 

 refer in the present communication, the interior is occupied by a gra- 

 nular mass in which spermatozoa are imbedded; outside of this is a 

 more or less hyaline sheath which stains deeply with borax carmine, 

 and which exhibits no minute structure that I could ascertain. Out- 

 side of this again is a layer of about the same thickness as the inner 

 layer, and is plainly made up of densely set and relatively thick fibres; 

 these however are left unstained by the borax carmine, or rather are 

 tinted of a faint brownish yellow. The layer is so thick and coherent 

 that it does not much resemble the projecting "tails" of spermatozoa. 

 But it seems to be formed of spermatozoa. When sections through the 

 spermatophores of the two species of Polytoreutus just mentioned are 

 contrasted with sections through the spermatophores of P. ma gilensis., 

 important differences are visible. In describing and figuring the latter 

 I expressed the opinion that they might be immature from the fact 

 that they somewhat resemble the immature spermatophores of Tuhifex 

 figured by V ej do vsky. I have however examined some fresh sperma- 

 tophores, i. e. from another individual, and find that they are charac- 

 terised by precisely the same structure that I have already delineated. 

 As both these worms were in every respect fully mature and as I ob- 

 served no intermediale forms I am now decidedly of opinion that the 

 spermatophores of P. magilensis do really differ from those of P. vio- 

 laceus in a number of points. 



In section the spermatophores of P. magiletisis were seen to con- 

 sist merely of the central axis of those of P. violacetis; there were no 

 layers outside of this, from which the spermatozoa prejected freely. 



