246 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 



(3.) As to the vasa deferentia, it remains to be seen 

 whether there are not two distinct pairs in Bourne's Periclucta 

 Sttcccrti} There are certainly in Miidrilus} 



(4.) We next come to the nephridia. Eosa, in the course 

 of his remarks, supports my view as to the archaic nature of 

 the excretory system of A. onultiporiis, though evidently 

 with some doubt, as is evinced by the query which precedes 

 his remarks. He concludes these in the following words : — 

 " Tuttavia bisogna notare que egli considera come ancora piii 

 primitiva la disposizione che si ha nell' A. multiporus alia 

 parte anteriore del corpo, in cui gli otto canali dei nefridii si 

 ramificano formando un ciclo di pori attorno ad ogni seg- 

 mento. II Beddard ritiene che ognuno di questi pori corris- 

 pondesse originariamente ad una setola, e percio che forme 

 primitive avessero un ciclo completo di setole. Ma in tale 

 ipotesi e difficile comprendere come una simile disposizione 

 non si sia trovata in nessuno dei molti Perichetidi che ci son 

 noti." 



The suggestion which Eosa quotes in the above passage 

 has been to a large extent confirmed by my discovery of the 

 relations of the nephridia in Pevichaeta? 



Deferring for a time the question of the nephridia, it does 

 not seem to me that Eosa's views as to the primitive nature 

 of the Acanthodrilidse can be regarded as established. They 

 are not so convincing to me as are reasons which will be put 

 forward later for placing Perichceta in the position occupied 

 by Acanthodrilus in Eosa's scheme. 



Turning now to the mutual relationships of the remaining 

 families, we find that Eosa unites the Eudrilidse and Peri- 

 chsetidce into one group, and the Geoscolecidas and Lumbricida^ 

 into another ; the Moniligastridte are doubtfully referred to 

 the latter. 



The connection is presumably not regarded as a very close 

 one, seeing that there is no indication of it in the classifica- 

 tion on pp. 8-10. 



1 Preliminaiy Notice of Earthworms from the Nilgiris and Shevaroys — 

 P. Z. S. (1886). 



^ BEDDAltD, Contril)utious to the Anatomy of Earthworms, etc. — P. Z. S. 

 (1887), p. 372. 



^ On the Presence of Numerous Nephridia, etc. — Q. J. M. S., vol. xxviii. 



