PACIFIC COAST OLIGOCH.ETA. 167 



anterior nepliridia in the various species. In Sp. Benhami the most anterior pair is 

 in xii, but they are smaller than those in xiii. In xv we find the. first very large 

 nephridium covered with a thick coelomic cell mantle. This mantle covers the ducts; 

 sometimes we also find a mass of similar cells attached to the nephridium as a rounded, 

 nearly separate mass, only connected with the nephridium by means of a very narrow 

 part. Owing to the great opaqueness of the nephridia, I have not been able to make 

 out the run of all the canals, and can illustrate only a little more than the outline of 

 the organ. It appears, however, that some of the canals are doubled. The outlet 

 duct is very heavy, wide, and its walls are thick. It runs far up into the windings. 

 There is a bridge, and I can distinguish all the various principal parts described by 

 me in the nephridium of Pontodrilus. There are comparatively few blood vessels on 

 the nephridia, and in this respect the species differs from Sp. Emni and Sp. Smithi^ 

 in which the nephridia are thickly covered and penetrated by capillaries, causing 

 them to be of a deep pink color. As regards size, the nephridia are as high as the 

 diameter of the ctjelom. The nephropores are in front of setiic 1 and 2, and very 

 wide. 



Vascular .system. Benham's description of the vascular system of Spargano- 

 philus is so complete that I can add but little; the various species seem to agree to a 

 very great degree. Sj). Benhami is distinguished by a scarcity of capillaries on the 

 various organs of the body, such as clitellum, nephridia, etc., while in Sp. Smiiid 

 and Sp. E'iseni capillaries arc so abundant that the}', for instance, almost obscure the 

 nephi'idial surface. The crystalization of the blood has already been described. It 

 is found in all the vessels of the body, but especially in the mesenteric blood sinus. 

 I have found swimming free in the blood two distinct cell elements, some of which 

 are very large — possibly leucocytes, while others are extremely minute, more round 

 and dense — possibly erythrocytes. But as their description reijuires more time and 

 study, I will defer it to a separate paper. 



The walls of the blood vessels present a banded appearance, caused by par- 

 allel bands of thicker tissue, furnished with large circular nuclei, arranged in rather 

 regular rows. 



A characteristic feature of the capillaries of this species are the numerous 

 blood glands, similar to those I have described in Pontodrilus and Argilophilus. They 

 are especially numerous in the nephridia and in the septal glands. They also contain 

 a large number of nuclei. 



Sparganophilus guatemalensis n. subsp. 

 Habitat. Guatemala. While in this Central American State several years 

 ago I found a great number of specimens pertaining, as I believe, to at least three 

 distinct species of Sparganophilus. These, as well as my other oligochfetological col- 

 lections made there, were mostly destroyed by accident, few specimens being saved. 

 These are now not in good condition for description, and this must account for the 

 imperfect data I am able to furnish for all species now described from Guatemala. I 

 found Sparganophili in that country in the most varied localities — City of Guatemala 

 at Los Banos, Los Arcos, Laguna Amatitlan, Coban, Panzos Ysabal, Duenas, etc. 

 The present form is from Los Banos and from Coban. 



