Miscellaneous. 871 



On the Habitat of Pcristethidion prionoccphalum, Duyn. 

 By Dr. A. B. Meyer. 



M. A. Dumoril described and figured in the year 1868 (' Nouv. 

 Archives du Museo d'llist. Nat. de Paris,' vol. iv. p. 115, pi. xxiii. 

 figs. 1 & 2) a new species of Peristethidion, with the remark that it 

 was " roQU de la mer des Indes, sans indication precise d'origine." 

 ^Ir. Riedel, of Gorontalo, in Celebes, asks mo to make known, in 

 his name, that the specimen was sent to Paris by him, and that the 

 exact habitat is Gorontalo, Xorth Celebes. 



Anatomy of a Remarkable Type of the Group of Nemertians 

 (Drei^anophorus spectabilis). By M. A. F. Mariox. 



In his memoir on the Xemcrtians, M. de Quatrefages has indi- 

 cated under the name of Cerebratulus spectabilis a curious species, 

 to which he ascribes a proboscis furnished with a denticulated plate. 

 The position and relations of this strange armature are unfortunately 

 not exactly indicated by the French naturalist ; and hence M'Intosh 

 has recently expressed doubts as to the truth of the assertion, 

 altli'JUgh Grube, in mentioning the occuiTence of Cerebratulus spec- 

 tabilis in the Adriatic, says, " Proboscide falcicula denticulata in- 

 structa." It is true that the Silesiau zoologist has only given a few 

 words to this Xemertian. 



I have collected in the Gulf of Marseilles some worms of this 

 species, and I can assert the correctness of M. de Quatrefage's de- 

 scription. I have moreover ascertained that Keferstein examined 

 the same animal at Saint-Waast-la-Hogue. The Borlasia spUndida 

 of the " Untersuchuugen iiber niedere Seethiere " is only a Cere- 

 bratulus spectabilis of which the armature of the proboscis was not 

 recognized. Lastly, I must cite a recent memoir by M. Hubrecht, 

 which I was unable to consult until my own researches were finished. 

 M. Hubrecht observed some specimens of Cerebratidus spectabilis at 

 Naples, and established for them the genus Drepanophorus. The 

 anatomical part of this memoir is unfortunately incomplete ; and I 

 therefore hasten to publish the results that I have obtained. 



The largest individual that I have examined was OS millims. in 

 length. I was able to understand the arrangement of the integu- 

 ments by operating upon living individuals. I believe that there 

 exists beneath the hypoderma a structureless basilar layer. The 

 annular muscular fibres are very delicate, and differ completely 

 from the longitudinal bundles ; the latter, in transverse section, 

 have the pennate appearance indicated by Schneider and Clapa- 

 rede in the musculatui'e of the earthworms and of some Chaetopod 

 Annelides. 



The vascular apparatus of this Nemertian presents the surprising 

 peculiarity of containing elliptical globules, slightly flattened, and 

 of a red colour identical with that of the blood-globules of man. 

 Their longest diameter is 0-01 millim. In their centre a darker 

 portion is seen, although it is not possible to distinguish the elements 



