NEREIS. 153 



? Heteronereis fuscicola. Oersted, Grcenl. Annul. Dorsibr. 28. tab. 1. 



f. 17; tab. 3. f. 55, 58 & 59; and in Kroyer's Naturh. Tids. 115 



(1842). H. Rathke in Nov. Act. Ccesar. Curios, xx. 158 (1843), 



tab. 8. f. 1-3. 

 Nereis verrucosa, MiiU. Zool. Dan. Prod. 217. Fabric. Faun. Grcenl. 



292. 

 Nereis fulgens, Daly ell, Pow. Great, ii. 153. pi. 22. f. 6-8. 



Hab. The Laminarian region. Ayrshire, Dr. P. W. Maclagan. 

 On the coast of the Isle of Man ; Orkney and Shetland, Edward 

 Forbes. Coast of Ireland, W. Thompsoii. '*This is a littoral 

 Nereis : it retreats from the light, lurking under stones, or in the 

 clefts of the rocks, near low water, where always moist." — 

 Dalyell. 



Desc. This species sometimes attains a length of 8 inches, with a 

 thickness equal to that of a swan's quill. It is thicker in proportion 

 to its length than N. pelagica, and has the organs of the head more 

 developed. The proboscis of both species is almost exactly alike 

 armed, but the serratures of the jaws in N. pelagica do not reach 

 the points, which are rather obtuse. The number of serratures on 

 the jaws appears to be more than ten, but not more than six of 

 them form prominent denticles on the edge. The segments vary 

 from eighty to ninety, and are marked with a few oblique striae 

 on each side above the feet, which are well developed. The dorsal 

 branchial lobe is rather larger than the others, and somewhat humped ; 

 and from the front of the hump originates the cirrus, of nearly double 

 its length. The inferior cirrus almost reaches to the tip of its lobe. 

 The bristles are smooth. 



The greater number of specimens preserved in spirits are of a uni- 

 form pearly iridescent colour, with a shght tinge of brown or pink ; 

 but some specimens are of a dusky brown, with glossy reflexions. 



" This creature constructs a very thin transparent silky tube, from 

 a matter exuding apparently from the whole body. Here it rests, 

 exposing the head, which commonly waves from side to side. The 

 tube is strengthened by the incorporation of sand where accessible. 

 When otherwise, it remains quite transparent, and it is framed of 

 sufficient width to admit of the animal's reversing itself within. 

 Sometimes the quantity of the secreted maatter employed in the 

 covering is copious." — Dalyell. 



The figure we have quoted from the *Encyclop. Meth." undoubt- 

 edly represents N. pelagica. Hence it follows that this is synony- 

 mous with Nereis verrucosa of Miiller and Otho Fabricius. That it 

 is the Nereis pelagica of Linnaeus is not so certain, for his specific 

 character — *'N. segmentis xl subtus sulcata" — is at variance with 

 fact. As, however, I can scarcely consent that any of our great 

 master's species should be deleted from the " Systema," I willingly 

 appropriate the name to the one before us; (1) because such was 

 the opinion of Miiller and Fabricius ; (2) because Linnaeus quotes 

 as a probable representation of his species the figure of a worm in 

 Baxter, which has seventy segments and upwards ; and (3) because 

 it is very probable that there is not existing a species of Nereis with 

 so few as forty segments. 



