CALIFORNIA EUDRILID/K. 



49 



these as chylus chiuubors, T do so witli much hesitation, as I am not at all satisfied but 

 that instead of being organs of alosorption, they may not in reality be organs of dis- 

 charge, or in other words, glands. I found these chambei-s always empty, appearing 

 entirely transparent in sections of the intestine, and they never stain, apparently 

 showing a want of contents, though this may be a temporary condition, owing to 

 the state of the worms wlien killed, at which time these organs may have happened 

 to have been temporarily empty. As regards location, they are found principally in 

 somites vii to xii, and seldom extend further back than that somite. It is to be re- 

 meml)ered that in somite xiii the tubular intestine changes its form and becomes 

 considerably sacculated. In somites vii to xii this tabular part is very poor in blood 

 vessels, or rather in large blood sinuses, while in xiii these sinuses begin to appear in 

 large number and of large size. Thus, with no blood sinus in the epithelial folds, there 

 are many pear-shaped chambers, while on the contrary, the cessation of pear-shaped 

 chambers is accompanied by numerous and large blood sinuses (fig. 93). Tiie pear- 

 sha})ed chaniliers are imbedded between the epithelial cells, and probably all of them 

 reach the inner cavity of the alimentary canal, though, fi-oni the sections made, this is 

 not quite evident. Some of tlieni, however, do, as will l)e seen from the figures 90 and 

 91. They are une(|ually distributed; in some places they fairly crowd out the epithelial 

 cells, as in fig. 91, which is drawn from a longitudinal section, showing an unusually 

 large number. Fig. 92 represents a surface view where they are less numerous, 

 and fig. 90 represents a camera drawing from a transverse section of the gut. Each 

 chamber consists of six, seven, or, in some instances, of only two or three cells, arranged 

 as the clefts in an orange, around a central pore or short tube, which, however, does not 

 extend all through the papilla, but ends blindly. At the lower end these individual 

 chambers connect witli numerous smaller and more irregular cells, which join 

 each otlu'i- close to the ti'ansverse muscular layer. The small central pore stands 

 frequently in connection with the alimentary cavity. In the smaller and inner 

 chambers this pore is less pronounced or entirely wanting. At the base of the 

 chambers are seen a number of small glandular masses, with grainy and opaque 

 contents (fig. 90 tjl.). As I'cgards the disti'ibution of the chambers among the epithelial 

 folds of the same somite, it may be noted that they are principally numerous in the 

 dorsal and ventral regions, disappearing in the lateral regions (fig. i;]3, cp. and c. r.). 

 This is the case in all the somites where these chambers api)ear in the tubular intestine. 

 Chylus canals have been described by Michaelsen as present in the intestine of Eu- 

 chytra'us, but the difference between their structure and those of Argilophilus is 

 (|uite great. In Enchytneus these canals are principally intercellular, and connect 

 with bloodvessels or sinuses, while the pear-shai)ed organs in Argilophilus are extra 

 cellular, and occur in parts of the intestine especially poor in blood vessels. The im- 

 possibility to pi'ocure fresh worms will necessitate a closer study of these oro-ans, to 

 be deferi-ed to a more opportune time. 



Typhloaok. The typhlosole and typhlosolar region is small, and not especially 

 pronounced in front of and in the clitellar somites. Anterior to somite xix the 



