A STUDY OF METAMERISM. 459 



The worms that had the anterior segments amputated^ the 

 history of which is recorded in Tables I — XIII, were examined 

 from time to time during the period of regeneration. One 

 striking result was often apparent. When the amputation of 

 the anterior segments had taken place obliquely, the new seg- 

 ments grew out approximately at right angles to the cut 

 surface. It was not uncommon to find a new regeneratins: 

 anterior end with its axis inclined at as much as (or even more 

 than) 45° to the long axis of the body. I have no records as 

 to whether the same thing happens when the oblique surface 

 is above or below. Those referred to were from lateral oblique 

 sections. 



This result is comparable to that of Barfurth on the regene- 

 ration of the tadpole's tail. Here the new part appeared at 

 right angles to the cut surface, and subsequently swung round 

 into line. 



To get the same result from the tail of the tadpole and the 

 head of an earthworm suggests that there is some fundamental 

 law of growth underlying both phenomena that should be 

 more extensively investigated. 



It was my intention to examine the power of regeneration 

 in young worms for comparison with the adult, but only a few 

 experiments have been made, and there has not been sufficient 

 time to allow the completion of this side of the work. 



Miss Adelene M. Fielde (14) has published a few fragmen- 

 tary notes on the power of regeneration in L. terrestris. 

 Pieces containing twenty to thirty segments from the posterior 

 end of the worm lived forty days, but did not regenerate at 

 either end. In these pieces new half-segments had been in- 

 serted, the authoress affirms, because she could not find any 

 such modifications (compound metameres) in other worms ! 

 In nine worms five anterior segments were amputated. These 

 " wholly regenerated. '^ In ten worms five anterior and twenty 

 to thirty posterior. These were found regenerating. 



I H- II f 



