STROCTURE OF TWO NEW GENERA OF EARTHWORMS. 243 



seen to consist of numerous folds of epithelium with blood 

 lacunae lying between the epithelial layers; the secretion of 

 the glands has the form of small spherical particles. 



(3) The present genus, like other Eudrilidse, possesses 

 impaired ventral diverticula of the oesophagus. 



The occurrence of these structures was first put on record 

 by myself in Eudrilus sylvicola (1), where they are simple 

 diverticula with the lining epithelium thrown into a few lon- 

 gitudinally running folds. Rosa (10) mentions the presence 

 of three such glands in Segments 9, 10, 11, in Teleudrilus, 

 but gives no special description of them. 



To Michaelsen (7) our chief knowledge of these peculiar 

 glands is due. He terms them " Chylustaschen,^' and com- 

 pares them with certain glandular diverticula in the Enchy- 

 trgeidae. The function of these structures is considered by 

 Michaelsen to be not analogous to that of the calciferous 

 glands ; instead of secreting calcareous granules like the calci- 

 ferous glands, or producing any other kind of secretion, it is 

 supposed that they serve for the absorption of food — hence the 

 term '^ Chylustaschen.'" It must be admitted that no cal- 

 careous spherules have been found in these pouches, although 

 their structure recalls that of the calciferous glands; so far 

 this is evidence, if not in favour of the suggestion of Michael- 

 sen, at any rate of their performing a different function from 

 that of the calciferous glands in the economy of the worms. 



In Pygmaeodrilus the 9th segment contains a pair oflateral 

 forwardly directed diverticula; it may be that the impaired 

 glands of Eudrilus are formed by the fusion of a pair which 

 get to be more and more approximated ventrally : on the other 

 hand, the diverticula of Pygmaeodrilus rather suggest the 

 calciferous glands of Urochseta, which really secrete calci- 

 ferous particles. 



No such structures are mentioned in Eudriloidesor 

 Nemertodrilus. 



In Polytoreutus there are median impaired pouches as in 

 Hyperiodrilus, three in number, besides the paired calci- 

 ferous glands ; the folds in the interior of the glands are so 



