THE CCELOMIC FLUID IN AOANTHODRILIDS. 571 



his account of the ' Coelomic Fluid of the Common English 

 Earthworm' (pi. 4, fig. 15). It bears some resemblance to 

 the "mucocyte" of Allol. mucosa, figured by Rosa (fig. 23), 

 but that cell is much larger than the eleocyte ; further, his 

 account of the " mucocyte " shows it to be a very different 

 cell. 



A good deal of work has in the last few years been done 

 in the staining reaction of the granules of amcebocytes in 

 various animals; amongst them. Ling Boom Keng has de- 

 scribed the various forms of amoebocyte in Lumbricus 

 terrestris. I have not made any observations on those of 

 Octochaetus, and am, therefore, not in a position to confirm 

 any of his statements ; but it is to be regretted that he did 

 not give a more detailed account of the living cell. 



2. Eleocytes (PI. 41, fig. 5).— These cells are moderately 

 abundant, of relatively large size, irregularly oval or circular 

 in outline, and measure, on the average, 40 yu. 



The cell is more or less spherical, but owing, perhaps, to 

 mutual pressure the cells assume irregular shapes. I have 

 not been able to detect any ''diffluence" or automatic 

 change of outline, and it appears to me that cytoplasm so 

 loaded with endoplastic products could scarcely retain suffi- 

 cient energy to move so large a mass. 



The cytoplasm is transparent (i. e. very finely granular) in 

 the living cell, and relatively small in amount ; it is limited 

 externally by a very definite pellicle or cell-membrane, which 

 remains when, by the action of various reagents, the cyto- 

 plasm has been rendered absolutely transparent or has been 

 destroyed. 



The characteristic feature of this cell is the presence of 

 numerous clear, colourless globules of oil, which crowd the 

 cytoplasm; and — unlike those recorded for AUolobophora — 

 are not limited to the periphery, but occur through the entire 

 depth of the cell. These globules are highly refringent, and 

 conceal the nucleus and cytoplasm in the living state. 



The nucleus is excentric, circular in outline, and is em- 



