290 W. BLAXLAND BENHAM. 
this genus mainly in the possession of only one pair of 
spermathece, and one pair of male pores (atriopores) on Seg- 
ment xvii, instead of the usual two pairs of each of these 
structures. Beddard! himself appears to have had some doubts 
as to the generic value of these features, for he states that 
‘it is possible that this supposed new genus Neodrilus is 
really an Acanthodrilus in which the posterior pair of 
male generative pores (atriopores), together with their glands, 
have not yet been developed.” In my recent contribution in 
this Journal, “ An Attempt to classify Earthworms,” I placed 
Neodrilus as a “doubtful genus.” 
I am now, however, in a position to confirm and extend 
Mr. Beddard’s brief description, although, like him, I had but 
one specimen, the anterior end of which after dissection I cut 
into a series of sections. 
The general colour of the worm, in spirit, is sienna brown ; 
its length about two and three quarter inches, with an average 
diameter of a quarter of an inch, but rather wider anteriorly 
to the clitellum. In shape it appears cylindrical, but is nearly 
square in transverse section, owing to the position of the four 
bundles of chetz. There are 155 segments. The chete are 
in the usual four couples, which are equidistant, so that the 
outer couples lie on the dorsal surface (fig. 1). The clitellum, 
which is rather lighter in colour than the neighbouring region, 
occupies the Somites xrv to x1x. In addition, the dorsal 
surface of Somite x111 is also glandular, as is also the ventral 
surface of Somites xv111 and x1x where the glandular epidermis 
extends across the middle line.? 
In Somite xvi, in a line with the ventral couple of chetz 
on each side, is a conspicuous rounded papilla, the apex of 
which is distinctly lighter than the base. At the apex of each 
of these papille is the pore of the prostate (fig. 2, prst. p.). 
On Somite xvii1, immediately behind those of Somite xv11, 
are two other papille, much less conspicuous and more 
depressed. These bear the apertures of the sperm-ducts. The 
1 «Proc. Roy. Soc. Edinb.,’ 1887, vol. xiv, p. 158. 
* Beddard states that the clitellum occupies Somites XIII to XVII. 
