No. 2.] EYES OF POLYCH^TOUS ANNELIDS. 193 



Amphinomid^. 



Amphinome Pallasii Quatrefages ? 



Specimens probably belonging to this species and taken at 

 Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas, and some from Florida, present 

 four red dorsal eyes, the anterior the larger. 



As seen in section (Fig. 30), the retina is peculiar in that 

 lines of pigment granules extend along the cell processes, even 

 to a distance of ten times the length of a retinal cell, thus pass- 

 ing in the mass of nerve fibres proceeding towards the ptmct- 

 snbstanz of the brain. 



A lens scarcely exists as distinct from the retinal rods ; each 

 rod is continued as a clearer, more liquid and tapering part 

 toward the stout cylindrical pedicle that connects the eye with 

 the cuticle. The sum of these watery tips may be called the 

 lens as distinguished from the less transparent, more deeply 

 staining layer of retinal rods. Graff (7) has described the eyes 

 in three species of Spinther as deep spoon-shaped pigmented 

 cups 1 filled by converging clear rods. His figures are given 

 incidentally, and obviously do not give the entire structure satis- 

 factorily. No connection with the cuticle is seen, but I infer 

 such may exist. These eyes are interpreted as agreeing with 

 the eye of Nereis as described by Carriere, but the figures I 

 think may as readily be interpreted as agreeing with the 

 structure found in Amphinome. 



Beddard (8) finds in Chlocia mergiiiensis Bed. four eyes having 

 retinas much like that described above for Nereis. The elon- 

 gated cells each bear a clear rod and are pigmented. Some of 

 the pigment is inside the cell, some in dark masses as if between 

 the rod ends of the cells : from surface views and tangential 

 sections this latter pigment appears as a black mass perforated 

 by clear holes, the bases of the rods (as shown for Nereis, Fig. 

 17). There is also some orange-colored pigment in one area of 

 the retina. 



The lens is remarkably like the cuticular plug shown for 

 Nereis in Fig. 13 ; it is larger and comes into contact with the 



^ From references to the work of R. v. Drasche, I infer that he found the eyes in 

 one of these species of Spinther to be nearly closed retinal cups, with but small 

 pupils. 



