178 Rev. G. Bailey. 



propensities — attaching itself usually to Limnea, and feeding on 

 animalcules. I conclude that our so-called parasite is one of 

 this class, and think it answers fairly well to the description 

 given by Grube, and others, of CJicctogaster verniiciilaris. 

 Johnston, in his " Catalogue of Annelids," thus describes the 

 genus CJiatogaster — " Body cylindrical, truncate in front, eyes 

 none, mouth terminal, barbed underneath, bristles all forked 

 spineti." 



Various synonyms are used by different authors, evidently 

 describing the same worm, e. g. A''rt/s verinicularis, Nais 

 diapJinnn, Chcetogaster Liinnei, Cha'togaster diaphaim, as well 

 as Cha'togaster verinicularis. 



In all naid worms it appears that the sexes are distinct, and 

 that propagation is both by ova and spontaneous transverse 

 division. Dr. VV. B. Carpenter gives a somewhat minute 

 account of the remarkable process of non-sexual multiplica- 

 tion of these creatures. A bud is thrown out between two 

 rings near the middle of the body, and ultimately developes 

 into a distinct individual. 



I trust it will not be deemed presumptuous on my part if I 

 express surprise that Dr. Williams in his Report on the British 

 Annedida, which he presented before the British Association 

 in 1S51, should " declare with deliberate firmness that there is 

 not one word of truth " in the descriptions which Professor 

 Owen, Dr. Carpenter, and others had given of the reproduction 

 of Naid worms, by a process of fission. 



On the gth day of September, 1882, I was favoured with the 

 sight of a process which Dr. Williams so confidently asserts 

 does not occur ; one of the Chcetogaster verinicularis, divided 

 while I was examining it under the microscope. 



In the middle of February, 1882, I was charmed the 

 unexpected division similarly effected by another Naid — 

 Stylaria paludosa. I gave one of the specimens resulting 

 from that division to my friend, Mr. Arthur Hammond, F.L.S., 

 who has described and figured what he saw of this process 

 a few days later. See " The Journal of the Postal Micro- 

 scopical Society." Vol. I, page 81. 



Returning to the subject of our notes, the bristles or setae are 

 moved by muscles, and to some extent answer the purpose of 

 legs. I was able to see distinctly that these bristles were the 

 instruments used as hooks for the purpose of hanging on to 

 the body of the mollusc. They are well adapted for such 

 purpose. They are forked hooks, in bundles of about ten 

 hairs or setae ; and the bundles are opposite each other, about 

 twelve fascicles on each worm. Stylaria palndosa has similar 

 hooked and forked setae, which it uses in clinging to aquatic 



