Dr. Johnston on the British Nereides. 22 



water amid the roots of coralHnes and the shells of mollusca 

 and sedentary anneUdans *. The body is much elongated and 

 proportionably slender, composed of a numerous succession 

 of similar segments, narrowed gradually towards each extre- 

 mity, more especially towards the posterior, which is termi- 

 nated by two short fleshy styles. From the mouth is pro- 

 truded at will a large proboscis, divided into two rings by a 

 fold sometimes scarcely visible (Plate VI. fig. 3.) ; the under 

 half on the whole roughened with fleshy papillae arranged in 

 rows, w^hile a series of larger papillae encircles the orifice. 

 There seem to be two eyes onlyf^ occipital in position and 

 larger than in the allied genera. The front of the head is 

 armed with four small simple antennae ; and on each side of 

 the post-occipital ring there are two pairs of unequal tentacu- 

 lar cirri, jointed at the base, and usually kept retroverted when 

 the creature is at rest. The feet are rather small, uniramous, 

 furnished with a single spine and a brush of very elegant, slen- 

 der bristles, divided by a joint near the middle into two por- 

 tions, of which the terminal one is as sharp as the finest needle. 

 (Plate VI. fig. 6.) 



In the Phyllodoces the blood is not red as in the great ma- 

 jority of the Annelides, but yellowish or colourless {. 



1. Ph. lamelligeray of a dusky-olive or sometimes oil-green ; 

 the colour often confined to the marghis of the segments. 

 (Plate VI. fig. 1—6.) 



Nereis lamelligera, Turt. Gmel. iv. p. 90. Turt. Brit. Faun, p. 135. 



Penn. Brit. Zool. iv. p. 96. Bosc, Vers, i. p. 1 73. Jameson in Wern. 



Mem. i. p. 557. — Phyllodoce gigantea, Johnston in Zool. Journ. iv. p. 



53. 



Hah. Sometimes found at low-water mark, but more common among the 



refuse brought up on the lines of the fishermen. Deep water in the Frith 



of Forth, brought up by the oyster-dredges, Dr. Neill. Common in Berwick 



Bay. 



Desc. Body 14 inches long, linear-elongate, somewhat com- 

 pressed, tapered at the tail, smooth, dusky with blueish and 

 greenish shades reflecting a metallic lustre, the branchial leaf- 



* Audouin and M. FLdwards, Litt. de la France, i. p. 237. 



t According to Lamarck four, " mais les poslerieurssont pcu apparens." 

 — Anim. s. Vert. 2de edit. v. p. 55G. 



X Lam. Anim. s. Vert. 2de edit. v. p. 556. Ann. des Sc. Nat. n. s. x. 

 p. 197. 



