118 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 
tubejormis, and some or all of the following:* Amphitrite cirrata, Chetinopoma green 
landica, Cirvatulus cirratus, Glycera capitata and Praxilella zonalis. 
Verrill and Smith (1873) listed 70 determined species of Annulata from specified 
localities lying within the limits of our region, and some 5 others whose range, as stated, 
would include Woods Hole and vicinity. Our present list thus comprises about twice as 
many representatives of this phylum as were catalogued for the region in the ‘‘ Report 
upon the Invertebrate Animals of Vineyard Sound.” More than 20 other determined 
species, however, were recorded at that time by Verrill for adjacent portions of the Atlantic 
coast; while in later papers he added many more to the fauna of the Woods Hole region 
itself. Most of those species of our own list which are not comprised within the various 
papers of Verrill have been recorded upon the authority of Dr. J. P. Moore, who has 
devoted some years to a systematic study of the Woods Hole Polycheta. Some of 
these, as above stated, were first taken during the survey dredging operations, while a 
yet greater number were collected independently by Dr. Moore before the latter opera- 
tions were commenced. It is understood that Dr. Moore has noted the occurrence of 
a number of species which are not included in this report, but these records are unfor- 
tunately not available at present. Except in the case of certain familiar and easily 
determined forms, all of the annelids from the dredging collections were identified by 
the last-named zoologist, to whom we are likewise indebted for the revision of our check 
list of species. This authority is also responsible for the terminology adopted, though 
not, of course, for all the statements in the text. 
Our list of Annulata considerably exceeds that given by Whiteaves for eastern 
Canada. Of the 105 Polycheta comprised in the latter catalogue, 29, or somewhat 
more than one-fourth, appear to be common to the Woods Hole region. None of the 
other groups of segmented worms have been considered by Whiteaves. 
The total number of annelids listed in the Plymouth catalogue is surprisingly near 
to that in our own. The number of Polycheta is somewhat greater (148) in the former; 
the number of Oligocheta being smaller (only 3). Of the Plymouth Annulata, 10 of the 
Polycheta and 1 of the Oligocheta appear to be common to Woods Hole. 
Herdman has listed 90(+2?) members of this phylum for the Irish Sea; while 
Greffe records 142 species for the Gulf of Trieste. 
Certain defects of method must be taken into account in judging of the complete- 
ness of our dredging records for the annelids. As is well known, a large proportion of 
the species burrow in the sand or mud, in some cases quite deeply. When disturbed, 
they retreat hastily from the surface. In order to obtain such forms without mutila- 
tion, or in many cases even to obtain fragments of them, it is necessary to dig deeply 
into the soil. Dredges such as those employed in the present work removed, at best, 
but a few inches from the surface of the mud and sand, giving the burrowing worms an 
ample opportunity to escape. 
An impressive instance of the incompleteness of our records for some of these bur- 
rowing annelids is furnished by the case of Diopatra cuprea. ‘This species, as is well 
known, constructs a parchment-like tube, extending down some feet into the ground. 
The terminal, exposed portion of the tube is reinforced by any small bits of solid matter 
which happen to be at hand, e. g., pebbles, shell fragments, or bits of eel grass. By the 
exercise of considerable care Ae living worm may be ae uP in Soon water. ue 
a These species were all dredged during the course of the survey. Whether or not me had eesneie been a hiaea inde- 
pendently by Dr. Moore is not known. 
