90 



lung ist das Resultat einer Reise nach den Azoren und l^ortugal , die 

 durch die Muuilic-enz der Königlich Preußischen Academic der Wissen- 

 schaften zu Berlin orniöglicht wurde; viele Herren in den bereisten 

 Landstrichen, viele im Inlande, in Osterreich und Italien unterstützten 

 mich bereitwilligst mit Material, das Berliner und das Sencken- 

 bergsche Museum öffneten mir ihre Schätze. Es drängt mich, auch 

 an dieser Stelle öffentlich meinen vorläufigen Dank auszusprechen. 



2. Preliminary Note on the „Mucous gland'' of Urochaeta. 



ByF. E. Beddard, London. 



eingeg. 31. December 1887. 



This gland was first described by P erri er', who has termed it 

 »glande à mucosités It is stated by him to occupy the first five or six 

 segments, and is described and figured as consisting of a tuft of long 

 glandular tubules terminating coecally, and uniting to form a long 

 muscular duct which opens on to the first segment. The glandular 

 tubules have the same structure as the nephridia; the absence of 

 nephridia in those segments Avhich contain the paired «glandes à 

 mucosité« led P erri er to infer their probable homology with nephridia. 



Similar glands occur in Diachaeia'^ . and in AcantJiodrilus multi- 

 poriis'^, where however they open into the buccal cavit)^ and not on 

 to the exterior. 



I have recently examined some well preserved specimens of Uro- 

 c/taeta for which I am indebted to Mr. W. L. S dater now of the 

 Calcutta Museum. 



I can quite confirm Perrier's statements as to the ressemblance 

 between the glandular tubules of the mucous glands and nephridial 

 tubules ; they consist of rows of perforated cells imbedded in a perito- 

 neal sheath. The tubules of the gland differ from those of the nephri- 

 dia in their small calibre ; in this point they agree with the nephridia 

 of Pcrichaeta , which are also very minute. There is another fact of 

 some importance in the structure of these glands which has escaped 

 the attention of Perrier: that is the presence of coelomic 

 apertures which have as in all other Annelids the form 

 of large funnel shaped ciliated discs, composed of the usual 

 columnar cells. The presence of these funnels naturally completes the 

 ressemblance of the organs in (juestion to nephridia. Further more 

 continuous series of sections showed that the funnels do not correspond 



» Arch, de Zool. Exp. t. III. 



2 Benham , Quart. Journ. Microsc. Soc. 1886, 



3 Beddard, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1885. 



