130 Dr. J. Steplienson on some 



Thei*e appears to be absolutely no warrant for tliis statement 

 of what takes place in early dcvolopmcnt, and the condition 

 so described would be totally without ])rccedent. On exanii- 

 uatiou there is found to l)c here, as always, only one pair 

 of testes or spern»-sacs, attached to septum 9/10, 



Tiie prostate is said to be a comparatively small spherical 

 structure. It is, in fact, a very larj^eand conspicuous object, 

 and is remarkable in being bifid. It would appear that 

 Mr. Rao has mistaken these prostate glands for the '' secoml 

 pair of sperm-sacs.^' 



There is an " ovarian chamber"' (modified eleventh segment) 

 which is not mentioned by Mr. Kao. It would be impossible 

 in this genus for the egg-saes to be suspended, as Mr. Rao 

 says, from septum 10/11 ; the ovaries are throughout in 

 segmeut xi. (or in a chamber which represents this segment 

 narrowed and modified in form), and the ovisacs are 

 posterior bulgin<;s of septum 11/12 (or of the posterior 

 wall of the chamber). 



Mr. Rao gives lengthy descriptions of the microscopical 

 structure of a number of the organs of this worm and of 

 some of the others. The condition of the British Museum 

 specimens, at au.y rate, does not seem to me to be such as to 

 make detailed histological description advisable. Mr. Rao, 

 however, describing certain glandular finger-shaped " alimen- 

 tary a})pendages," gives an account, not easy to understand, 

 of their develoi)ment ; certain muscular fibres of the gut- 

 wall change their character and, becoming metamorphosed, 

 give rise to the glandular processes, one process being de- 

 rived from a single muscular fibre. The cells fringing tlie 

 adult processes are compared to the solenocytps of Poly- 

 clueta ; and tliere is said to be histological atfiinty between 

 these enteric appendages of Druwida and the " entero- 

 ne|)hridia " of P/ieretima ; indeed, diagrams are given to 

 illustrate the evolution of septal uephridia from enteric 

 appendages such as those of these worms — in this process of 

 evulution tiie sui)ra-intestinal blood-vessel becomes an ex- 

 cretory duet. The main function of the alimentary appen- 

 dages is supposed to be that of storing water. 



Without remarking on the numerous other structures 

 which are descril)ed by Mr. Kao, I might ])erhaps mention 

 that in the same species to wliich the above refers, the 

 spermathecal atrium is figured as having an outer chitinous 

 layer (/. e., on its peritoneal surface), and is deacriljcd in 

 ihe text as having an outer tunic which is a thin euticular 

 layer. 



Such extraordinary morphological ideas need not be 

 seriouslv discussed. I do not think it is too much to sav 



