298 Dr. T. Goodey on the 



the vinegar eel-worm, whilst others claimed it as a distinct 

 form. 



I should like to take this opportunity of expressing our 

 thanks to Dr. Cunnington for liis kindness in supplying the 

 material which Professor Leiper has placed at my disposal. 



Eistorical. 

 Bastian (4) gives a pretty complete list of references to 

 works prior to his time dealing with the paste eel-worm, and 

 I have endeavoured to examine most of these. I have not 

 been able to obtain access to several of the old works, as 

 many of the books are very rare and inaccessible at the 

 present time. I have, however, found one or two which are 

 not listed by Bastian. Several of the old works contain but 

 a few lines recording the presence of eel-worms in sour paste, 

 and are not accompanied by any illustrations. Moreover, in 

 those which give figures the latter are for the most part 

 useless for purposes of identification and differentiation, in 

 that they do not show the structure of the worms in sufficient 

 detail. 



Baker (3) has Chapter IV. p. 81 of his book headed "Of 

 Eels in Paste." He gives particulars of how a suitable paste 

 for the cultivation of the worms may be prepared, so that 

 one may have a supply of them all the year round. He 

 makes a point of the necessity of keeping the surface of the 

 paste free from moulds and in an undried condition. His 

 last paragraph is well worth quoting : — " Tliey are very 



entertaining objects The internal Motion of their 



Bowels may very plainly be distinguish'd, and when the 

 Water is dry'd almost away, and they are near expiring their 

 Mouths may be seen opening to a considerable Width." 



There can be no doubt that what lie refers to as " the 

 internal motion of their Bowels" is really the movements of 

 the embryos within the female worms, for the species is 

 viviparous. As to their opening their mouths when they 

 are nearly dead, I can only suggest that he must have 

 allowed a somewhat sympathetic imagination to colour his 

 observation of wiiat were probably the tail-ends of some male 

 worms with spicules extruded, and have mistaken these for 

 head-ends with mouths agape. 



Adams (i), pp. 125-127, deals with eels and serpents or 

 little worm-likt^ animalcul?e found in vinegar and paste. He 

 mentions finding some witii bifid tails, and gives a figure of 

 them. He also quotes the observations of Dr. Power, who 

 found that if vinegar containing them is but moderately 

 heated they will all die and sink to the bottom of the vessel. 



