108 DR. BAIRD ON NEW SPECIES OF WORMS. [April 21, 



and mottled with black and white. They do not meet each other in 

 the centre, but leave a portion of the back uncovered. The superior 

 cirri are rather long, blunt-pointed, pedunculated, marked with a 

 black spot at the base, where they issue from the peduncle, and are 

 ringed with black a little distance from the extremity. The inferior 

 cirri are short and acute-pointed. The feet are broad, and the 

 bristles of both branches are stout, of a bright brown colour, and 

 toothed on one edge near the extremity. The antennae are five in 

 number, and are all short and nearly of equal length. 



Hab. Esquimau Harbour, Vancouver Island {Mus. Brit.). 



4. Lepidonotus fragilis, Baird. 



This species, owing to its brittle character, is in too bad a state to 

 describe accurately. It is about 2k or 3 iuches long, and is rather 

 narrow. The scales or elytra appear to be very thin and membra- 

 nous ; but as they are deciduous, it is difficult to ascertain the num- 

 ber, especially as the worm is broken into several pieces. The supe- 

 rior cirri are stout and club-shaped at the tip. There appear to be 

 no ventral cirri on the feet, and the superior cirri become nearly 

 obsolete on the lower half of the body. 



It was found by Mr. Lord adhering to a starfish ; " but," he says, 

 " it is next to impossible to obtain one perfect, as they break them- 

 selves to pieces on the slightest touch, or however carefully killed." 

 In this respect it resembles a species of Annelide belonging to the 

 group of vermiform Aphrodisians, described by Risso as occurring 

 in the Mediterranean, under the name oi Eumolpe fragilis. 



Hab. Esquimalt Harbour, Vancouver Island (^Mus. Brit.). 



5. Nereis foliata, Baird. 



This Nereid is of a dark grey colour above, and of a lighter hue 

 underneath, somewhat iridescent. It is 15 inches in length, and 

 at the broadest part is about ^ an inch in breadth. It tapers gradu- 

 ally towards the tail, which terminates in two short, blunt, caudal 

 styles. The first or occipital segment of the body is about twice the 

 length of the second. The tentacular cirri are unequal, and vary 

 in length : in the largest and best-developed specimen the longest 

 are only about as long as the first two segments ; while in another 

 specimen, nearly of the same size, they are nearly equal in length to 

 the first four segments, and in one or two small specimens, not a 

 third the length of the two just mentioned, these cirri are equal in 

 length to at least eleven of the first segments of the body. The 

 shorter ones are only about half the length of the first segment of 

 the body. The feet are well developed, the superior branchial ap- 

 pendages are large and in the form of a leaf, giving the animal at 

 first sight the appearance of a species of P/(y//oc?o?i. The antennae 

 are shorter than the palpi, which are strong and conical in shape. 



Hab. Esquimalt Harbour, Vancouver Island (Mus. Brit.). 



This species approaches very nearly to Nereis virens of Sars, from 

 Newfoundland (vide Middendorf, Sibirische Reise, Annulos. 6, 

 tab. i. figs. 2-6). 



