some new Species of Drawida. 505 



and functional significance of the different parts of the 

 spermathecal apparatus of Moniligastrid8e,and finally attempts 

 to liomologise them with those of the family Megascolicidie. 

 He sets forth his conclusion in the following terms : — • 

 " There can be doubt that the pear-shaped, long-stalked 

 pouch in the seventh segment of the MonUigaster perrieri," 

 as well as of all other Moniligastridfe, corresponds function- 

 ally with the diverticula of the Megascolecid spermatheca, 

 being the magazine of sperm - ma-^ses received in the 

 copulatory act. The atrial cavity, on the other hand, may 

 act as a copulatory pouch, corresponding functionally with 

 the muscular duct of the main pouch of the Megascolecid 

 spermatheca, whilst in some species of MonUigaster a 

 secretory function is added, being confined to special 

 organs — the glandular branched tubes only in MonUigaster^ 

 It would require an examination of the spermathecal 

 apparatus of almost every genus of the two families before 

 one can confirm or disprove the view of Dr. Michaelsen. I 

 have microscopically investigated the teased preparations and 

 sections of every part of the spermatheca of the following 

 species of Drawida — D. pellucida, D. cholorina, D. brunnea, 

 and D. ghatensis, and all the five species described in this 

 paper, which were all sexually mature, — and the results 

 obtained do not confirm the view that the spermathecal 

 atrial organs of the two foregoing families are functionally 

 different, though homologous. First, as regards the ampulla, 

 I must mention that in teased preparations and sections the 

 cavity was found filled w^ith a mucilaginous matter in all the 

 species "^, in which no sperms in any stage of development 

 could be detected. This contained substance is easily 

 dissolved by alcohol. In point of microscopic structure the 

 ampulla is uniform in all the species, comprising an internal 

 lining of large columnar glandular cells, which, on clearing 

 by alcohol, shows in teased and sectional preparations 

 granular cytoplasm heavily loaded with mucin and staining 

 deeply (methylin-blue). The nucleus is large, and placed 

 at the middle of the cells. The cavity of the ampulla is not 

 uniform, being narrower at the end where the duct leads off. 

 The glandular layer is invested by a muscular coat, with the 

 fibres circularly disposed, and between it and the outer 

 membranous covering in the cleared preparations and sections 

 is a space filled with a deeply staining granular matter and a 



* Dr. Stephenson (Rec. Ind. Mus. 1917, vol. xiii. p. 3Go), in his 

 descriptiou of D. kanarensis, mentions that the spermathecal ampullre 

 " were tilled with a shining white opaque mass, doubtless spermatozoa." 



