270 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



are thicker than in O. Beddardi. The tubular intestine 

 is considerably nipped by the septa. The sacculated in- 

 testine commences in somite xii, and the inflation is widest 

 in the anterior somites, as in the other species. The 

 body-wall is much tougher than in any other species. 



Size of worm, about three-fourth inch long by three- 

 fourth line wide. 



From the above it will be seen that O. occidentalis differs 

 in many important points from all other species known. 

 The septal glands in viii are very large, in all other species 

 they are very small, compared to the anterior glands. 

 Spermathecas are absent. Sperm-sacs in ix, x and xii 

 are absent. The one in xi is differently situated and of 

 a different structure from those in any other species. 

 The nephridia are smaller than in other species. The 

 number of bloodvessels in the oesophageal pouch are less 

 in number than in other species. The pouch itself at its 

 attachment to the oesophagus is not, or only a trifle, nar- 

 rower than at its greatest width, while in all other species 

 the pouch is much narrower at the attachment than else- 

 where (fig. 84). 



With an increasing number of species known, it may 

 be necessary to arrange them in sub-genera, though at 

 present any subdivision of the genus would be super- 

 fluous. 



Habitat. California, San Joaquin valley, at Fresno, 

 in garden soil. It comes to the surface when irrigation 

 is practiced. So far only found in the garden of the 

 Eisen Vineyard, six miles east of Fresno. As I have in 

 vain looked for it elsewhere, it is possible that this worm 

 has been introduced there from some other locality with 

 plants, though I believe that the native habitat of the 

 worm is in California, as at the time of the first find no 

 foreign plants had been introduced. 



