PREFACE 



THE present volume comprises two papers : The Enchytrae- 

 idse of the West Coast of North America, by Dr. Gustav Eisen ; 

 and the Tubicolous Annelids of the tribes Sabellides and Ser- 

 pulides from the Pacific Ocean, by Miss Katharine J. Bush. 

 The manuscript on the Enchytraeidae was placed in my hands 

 about three years ago. Owing to unavoidable delays in the 

 preparation of the volumes which precede it in the series, earlier 

 publication has been impracticable. This is greatly to be re- 

 gretted, particularly since some of the species then described as 

 new by Dr. Eisen have been since published by others. 



The manuscript on the Tubicolous Annelids reached me in 

 January, 1904, when Dr. Eisen's paper was already in page 

 proof, and just in time to be included in the volume. 



Both papers represent an enormous amount of patient pains- 

 taking original work on little known groups, our knowledge of 

 which is correspondingly advanced. The number of new spe- 

 cies and subspecies described is 100, of which 52 are Enchy- 

 traeids, 48 Tubicolous Annelids. Besides the new species, 

 Miss Bush proposes 15 new genera. 



C. HART MERRIAM, 



Editor. 



WASHINGTON, D. C. 

 April 10, 1904. 



