482 H. F. MOORE. [Vol. X. 



Male organs. — There are two pairs of sperm sacs, one pair 

 lying in each of somites XI and XII. They are whitish in 

 color, and are the most conspicuous organs when the worm is 

 opened. They are attached to the anterior septa of the 

 somites in which they lie, and do not enclose the testes or fun- 

 nels. Owing to their large size, the septa are much displaced 

 and the sperm sacs appear to occupy more than one somite; in 

 longitudinal sections, however, this appearance is readily seen 

 to be illusive. Septum 12-13 is thrust so far backwards by 

 the posterior pair of sacs, that the cavity of XIII is almost oblit- 

 erated. The interiors of the sperm sacs are much cut up and 

 subdivided by trabeculae of muscle and connective tissue, 

 with contained blood-vessels. As is common in terrestrial 

 Oligochaeta, a pair of testes lies in each of somites X and XI, 

 They are digitate in shape and are attached to the anterior 

 septa of their somites, into which they freely depend. 



The ciliated rosettes are large, of the usual form, and are 

 attached to the anterior face of the posterior septa of the 

 somites which contain the testes. From each of the four a 

 ciliated duct passes back and unites in somite XIII, with its 

 fellow of the same side, to form a common sperm duct. 



The ducts usually, in Oligochaeta, unite in the somite be- 

 hind the posterior funnel; the longer independent course in 

 this worm is noteworthy, and was noticed both in dissections 

 and in longitudinal and transverse sections. The ducts are not 

 convoluted after perforating the septa, to which their respec- 

 tive funnels are attached, and unless gorged with spermatozoa, 

 are not obvious when the worm is opened, being imbedded in 

 the tissues of the body-wall, particularly posteriorly to their 

 place of union. 



In somite XV the sperm-duct ascends the anterior face of 

 the large prostate, and being imbedded in the tissue of that 

 organ it is rarely that this portion of its course can be demon- 

 strated by dissection. 



Upon reaching the summit of the prostate it plunges into its 

 walls, loses its cilia, its epithelial cells gradually elongate and 

 merge into the columnar cells lining the cavity of the gland, 

 and its lumen becomes continuous with the latter. 



