68 PETER SCHMIDT 



The ill success of these experiments was caused, I believe, 

 by the fact that I had occasionally used earthworms with clitel- 

 lums. The skin of the clitellum is very delicate and full of blood- 

 vessels, which suffer from the exsiccation and cause the blood 

 effusion and infection. 



The revivification of the control worms nos. 2, 3, and 6 also 

 yielded nearly negative results. Worm no. 2, preserved in a 

 test-tube at normal temperature during twenty-four hours, was 

 placed on 12 VIII 18h 50' on moistened filter-paper. It seemed 

 to be in a good state of preservation and showed no signs of 

 infection. But as it was swollen, only some weak contractions 

 of the caudal end were seen, and at the proximal end white 

 swellings appeared, as a sign of infection. On the morning 

 13 VIII the worm was dead. 



The worm no. 3 was exsiccated too quickly and overdried. It 

 showed no signs of life and at the proximal end a blood effusion 

 was observed. 



Worm no. 6 proved to be overdried at the proximal end, evi- 

 dently also because there was a clitellum. The caudal two- 

 thirds of the body was revived and moved energetically, but the 

 proximal third perished. After twenty-four hours the whole 

 worm was dead. 



This fifth series of experiments has nevertheless shown, that the 

 worms which have lost not more than 61 per cent of the weight of their 

 body, if preserved at low temperature, retain their vitality during 

 forty-eight hours. Their revivification was only partly obtained, 

 but this depended upon secondary causes, which could be 

 avoided. Unfortunately, lack of time prevented me from re- 

 peating this series of experiments with all necessary precautions, 

 needed after the foregoing ill success. Earthworms without cli- 

 tellum should be taken and exsiccated more slowly and gradually. 



EXPERIMENTS, SERIES VI 



The sixth series was undertaken with the view of studying the 

 influence of exsiccation effected at low temperature. The worms 

 were put into small glass-tubes and placed into a desiccator that 

 stood on the ice in the ice-house. The small size of the glass 

 tubes caused a very slow exsiccation of the worms. 



