310 PROC. COTTESWOLD CLUB vol. xiir. (4) 



I remember the specimen alluded to by Dr Benham. It 

 was found in a well at Ewen, near Cirencester, and Prof. 

 Marker was very interested in its discovery. He made 

 numerous unsuccessful attempts to obtain another example 

 from the locality, dredging a neighbouring stream with a 

 large heavy landing net. But he was unsuccessful, and so 

 it remained until my discovery of an example in 1896. 



Some three years after that, in November, 1899, two 

 more specimens were pumped up from the well at my 

 house. One example was about 230 mm., the other about 

 119 mm. in length. The larger example I sent to Dr 

 Benham, at Oxford.* He had, however, left for New 

 Zealand, and the parcel was opened, in his absence, by 

 Prof. W. R. Weldon, who wrote as follows : — 



" Department of Comparative Anatomy, 

 The Museum, Oxford, 



3rd November, 1899. 

 As your parcel evidently contained a specimen which could not be 

 forwarded without examination, I took the liberty of opening it. 

 Seeing a Rhynchelmis alive I was led to open your letter. 

 You will find the best account of the structure of the animal in 

 Vejdovsky's System der Oligochieten (Prag, 1855?), and the same 

 writer's, Entwickelungsgeschichtliche Untersuchungen (1888-92 Prag), 

 contains an excellent monograph of its development. 



A summary of knowledge about the creature is given in Beddard's 

 ' Monograph of the Oligochceta.' 



Yours very truly, 



W. F. R. Weldon." 



[* Since this paper was written I have received a note from Prof. Weldon. He says: 

 " I have left your letter unanswered for a long time, in the hope of finding; the older speci- 

 men to which you refer, but I can find no trace of it. 



" The specimen you sent last year is in the Museum, properly labelled with the locality, 

 and your name as donor. Its length is now naturally less than when alive : it measures 

 about 221 centimetres in its present condition. I see no reason to doubt the identity of 

 tliis worm with Rhynchelmis limosella, Hoffmeister ; but I have not gone over the specilic 

 characters very thoroughly, for fear of injuring your specimen." Nov. 20th, 1900.] 



