16 Mr. F. E. Ikddard on the 



contents of which were driven hither and thither by peristaltic 

 waves of contraction ; tliese movements were generally though 

 not always to be seen ; they appeared to be sometimes 

 increased by warming the slide. I did not observe any move- 

 ment of the cilia on the under surface of the prostomium. 



The capsules were of various sizes, some being quite twice 

 as large as others ; but altliough there was a difference of 

 size there was no ascertainable difference in shape between 

 the larger and smaller capsules, nor, in fact, any difference of 

 structure correlated with the difference of size. The capsules 

 bore not a little resemblance when examined with a lens to 

 the " fruit " of Cliara^ on account of their orange colour ; this 

 colour is due to the innumerable orange oil-drops of the con- 

 tained worms. Occasionally tlie worms within the capsules 

 appeared of a faint pinkish colour; tiiis coloration recalls 

 Prof. Lankester's * observations upon the blood of jEolosoma. 

 He remarks that the blood in the vessels is of a pinkish 

 colour ; the pink colour which I observed was not limited to 

 the blood-vessels, but pervaded the body generally ; it is, I 

 think, due to a diffusion of the integumental pigment liberated 

 through the disintegration of some of the epidermic oil- 

 globules. The pink colour was notably increased by pressing 

 upon the cover-glass with sufficient energy to injure the 

 integument and rupture the vesicles containing the pigment. 



The capsules consist (see figs. 1 & 2) of a thin layer, which 

 varies in thickness in different individuals ; it is perfectly 

 colourless and transparent; it had no tinge of yellow like the 

 cocoons of Oligochajta in general. When the capsule was 

 ruptured by forcibly pressing upon the cover-glass with a 

 needle the contents were pressed out, leaving the cyst intact. 

 The cyst was then seen to be a complete hollow thin-walled 

 sphere ; the elasticity of the walls was shown by the fact that 

 if, during the process of rupturing, the cyst-walls were pressed 

 inwards at any point, they recovered their form immediately 

 that the pressure was removed. 



The worm always completely filled the cyst, its epidermis 

 being in close contact with the membrane. Occasionally I 

 found empty cysts, which were split across as shown in the 

 figure (fig. 2), to allow the egress of the worm. 



What is the nature of these cysts? Are they cocoons? 

 It is dlfiicult to answer this question quite positively. But 

 before attempting to do so I may quote a later remark of Prof. 

 Vejdovsky f upon the subject. In a general sunnnary of our 



* "A Coutribulion to the Kno^vlod<l^e of the Lower Anuelids," Trans. 

 Linn. Soc. vol. xxvi. p. 642. 

 t ' F.ntwickhinpfstroschiclitlicho UntcrsiK^lmnsTPn,' Heft i. p. 4(1. 



