430 F. W. CxAMBLE AND J. H. ASHWORTH. 



live together near tlie bases of rocks in a deposit composed 

 of SRnd and small stones. Like A. marina, they are charac- 

 teristically littoral animals, occurring in and above the upper 

 portion of the Laminarian zone. At Port St. Mary they are 

 best obtained by overturning large boulders lying on the 

 gravel-like beach_, and digging in the place so exposed with 

 the hands until the worm is seen gliding, almost like an 

 earthworm, into its burrow. The excavation is then enlarged 

 all around this point, as the worms seem to occur in batches in 

 certain places, each of which, being probably very suitable to 

 their wants, has attracted several specimens. The debris of 

 decomposing rock appears to have a great attraction for these 

 species, and in a suitable locality such as Port St. Mary 

 they may be collected in considerable quantities. At this 

 place four workers obtained seventy-six specimens of A. 

 Grubii and thirty-six of A. ecaudata in the course of 

 rather over an hour's work, while at Port Erin only about 

 half a dozen specimens of A. Grubii were obtained in 

 the same time. These species do not construct a regular 

 burrow like that of A. marina. They are often found in 

 oblique and curved holes in the gravel, a few inches below 

 the surface, but there is not a definite opening leading to the 

 exterior. They take into their alimentary canal the sand 

 and gravelly material in which they live, and their castings, 

 being composed of larger particles, are less firm than those 

 of A. marina; and the components fall apart from each 

 other, mingle at once with the gi'avel among which the worms 

 live, and are not piled up on the surface as in the case of the 

 common higworm. In specimens of A. ecaudata obtained 

 from Valencia (co. Kerry) there was little sand, but the 

 alimentary canal was distended with pieces of Fucus. At 

 Naples A. Grubii lives chiefly in sand mixed with putres- 

 cent matter, and breeds through the spring (Lo Bianco, 

 1899). On the British coasts both this species and A. 

 ecaudata breed in the spring. 



Most specimens of A. ecaudata are yellowish red or 

 dai'k red in colour, but some are dark green. A. Grubii is 



