116 R. 0. PUNNETT. 



of the length of the body. In a specimen 36 cm. in length, 

 it came to an end 10'5 cm. from the anterior end. 



The excretory system commences soon after the mouth, 

 and extends as far as the commencement of the intestine. 

 Anteriorly small portions of it shoAV a tendency to become 

 isolated from the rest (cf. E. multiporata [7]). It possesses 

 a number of openings to the exterior, and also presents the 

 unique condition of ducts opening into the oesophagus (fig. 2) . 

 In this way the lumen of the alimentary canal is indirectly 

 placed in communication with the exterior medium. That 

 such a condition is not pathological but normal in this species 

 is shown by the fact that it was found in another specimen, 

 the anterior portion of Avhose body was cut. The subjoined 

 tables show the position of the various ducts (see pp. 118 and 

 119). The sections were of a uniform thickness of 8 fx, and 

 commence with the anterior extremities of the animals. 



It will be noticed that the ducts are in some cases rudi- 

 mentary, i. e. they do not form a communication with the 

 excretory system, but end blindly when they reach the 

 circular muscle layer. It is also interesting to notice that 

 in several cases they pass through the ganglion-cell layer of 

 the side stem (fig. 3) ; and also that in one instance the duct 

 passed beneath the side stems, the only instance, as far as 

 I am aware, of such a condition occurring in the group. 



The genital sacs were devoid of sexual cells. 



The main features of the nervous system have been 

 touched upon by Biirger. An interesting point, however, is 

 to be made out with regard to the anal commissure. In this 

 species it is very strong and ventral to the gut. In this case 

 the pigment lines afford an infallible criterion of orientation, 

 and there can be no question of a twisting of the body such 

 as described by Hubrecht in the case of E. delineata, though 

 he states that the commissure is also ventral in this case (5) 

 (p. 11). Oudemans (6) (p. 41) mentions the commissure of E. 

 curt a as being dorsal. In the species of Eupolia next de- 

 scribed in this paper there is no commissure. How far such 

 divergent conditions may be due to injury and subsequent 



