THE LEECHES OF JAPAN, 357 
glandule albuminifere (gi. aldb.), first made known by 
Leuckart.! This duct lies loosely on the vagina (v) and bends 
into the posterior end of the latter. The vagina consists of 
a fusiform saccular portion and a narrow tubular portion lead- 
ing to the external orifice. The saccular portion has about the 
length of one somite; but it lies opposite the eighth pair of 
ganglia, so that one half is in the llth, the other in the 
12th somite. The anterior tubular portion appears to be 
longer than in H. medicinalis. 
Remarks and General Considerations. 
Name.—I have found no mention of this Leech anywhere 
except in a few quasi-scientific books of Japanese origin. The 
more common native name is Hiru, which has, so far asI can 
learn, only an accidental resemblance to the Latin Hirudo. 
According to the best information I could obtain, this name 
has always been in common use among the Japanese; and it 
is quite certain that it is not a shortened form of Hirudo, as 
the latter could only have been introduced in comparatively 
recent times. The same word also signifies garlic, noon, day- 
time. A similar name, Hiiru, is applied to the mouth of a 
silkworm. 
According to J.C. Hepburn, the name Suitetsu (from sui, 
to suck, and ketsu, blood) is also applied to the Leech. 
Neither the Corean name KémoOri, nor the Chinese Chitsu 
gives any clue to the origin of the word Hiru. 
A Japanese writer, Tanikawa (‘ Wakunshiori,’ vol. xxv, 
1830), attempts to explain the matter, by saying that the 
Leech lives in the mud, hiji, and is therefore called Hiru. 
Use.—This is the only Leech used by the Japanese for medi- 
cinal purposes. According to an older author, Terashima 
(‘Wakansansaidsuye, vol. lii, 1713), the Japanese have not only 
employed the Leech in the common way, externally, but also as 
an internal medicine. As an example, the writer says that the 
Leeches are dried and reduced to fine powder, of which about 
! «Die menschlichen Parasiten,’ i, p. 679, 1863, 
