182 Dr. R. Greeff on Autolytus prolifer. 



referred to in the description of the genus. The tentacles, as 

 also the following tentacular and dorsal cirri, are usually 

 greyish yellow, with the exception of the apex, which is some- 

 times light yellow. The whole of the tentacles and cirri are 

 more or less densely clothed throughout their length with fine 

 soft bristles (tactile hairs), and exhibit in their interior peculiar 

 sharply outlined corpuscules, of a roundish, elongated, or irre- 

 gular form. 



The cephalic segment is followed by the first body-segment, 

 which is very narrow (especially when seen from above) and 

 bears on each side two rather short tentacular cirri, but no 

 setigerous paddles. It is only on the second body-segment, 

 which is considerably broader than the first, that a short uni- 

 ramous paddle, with two slightly prominent lobes, makes its 

 appearance on each side. In the paddle there is a bundle of 

 from eight to ten closely approximated strong and short 

 setse. Two of the seta3 (and these are the strongest and 

 usually placed rather behind the rest) are simple, the others 

 are composite. The simple setae have exactly the form of the 

 composite ones, except that in the former the sickle-shaped 

 terminal joint is wanting, and the otherwise short apical por- 

 tion is somewhat elongated, especially on the hinder segments. 

 The composite setse bear the short tridentate terminal joint 

 already described in the generic character (fig. 3). Above the 

 paddles of the second segment there is on each side a long 

 dorsal cirrus resembling the cephalic tentacles. The dorsal 

 cirri of the following segments are considerably shorter. All 

 the dorsal cirri consist of two joints — a short, conical, tuber- 

 culiform basal, and a thinner terminal joint. In all the cirri 

 the basal joint shows a lively ciliary movement, but this never 

 extends over the terminal joint. Ventral cirri are deficient on 

 all the segments. The caudal cirri are usually long, and fur- 

 nished with many tactile hairs. 



With regard to the characteristic alimentary apparatus, es- 

 pecially the oesophageal tube, I may refer in general to the 

 description abeady given under the generic character, and to 

 the figure (fig. l,a,h,c). Usually the oesophagus commences 

 in Autolytus prolifer within or below the second setigerous 

 segment. The glandular stomach commences at the eighth or 

 ninth, and generally includes two or three segments in its 

 length. The intestine is broad, and presents no constrictions 

 corresjDonding with the individual segments ; but at every two, 

 three, or four segments there is a constriction, which, however, 

 does not penetrate deeply. The head and body present a 

 yellowish-brown coloration, sprinkled with dark-reddish -brown 

 irregular small granules, spots, and streaks. Frequently also 



