1892.] OF THE GENUS PERICH^TA. 157 



PerichjEta dyeri, n. sp. 



I obtained a single specimen of this Ferichaeta from Kew Gardens 

 in August of last year ; Mr. Crisp, one of the employes at the Royal 

 Gardens, brought me the worm, wbich had been remarked for some 

 days on account of its active habits ; it had obviously come from some 

 foreign country, but at that season so many plants in Wardian cases 

 arrive from abroad that 1 found it impossible to ascertain its exact 

 locality. 



The colour of this species when alive (Plate IX. fig. 2) is a rich 

 brovrn, darker posteriorly ; the cuticle is markedly iridescent, the 

 iridescence being probably more strongly marked on account of the 

 dark background of pigment. During life it protruded, as other 

 PerichcEtce do, the whole of the buccal cavity during its movements ; 

 the clitellar region was also continually contracted: in preserved 

 specimens this region of the body is, it should be observed, frequently 

 much narrower than the rest ; the older term of ciugnlum is thus 

 particularly applicable, as the impression given is that of a belt 

 tightly drawn round the middle of the worm. When placed in weak 

 spirit, the worm threw out a quantity of turbid yellowish fluid. 



Alter preservation the specimen measured 117 mm. and was com- 

 posed of 72 segments. The circumference of the body in the region 

 of tiie spermathecae is 13 mm. 



The elitellum occupies the three usual segments, but does not 

 exactly coincide with the boundaries of those segments ; it commences 

 a little after the beginning of the xivth segment and terminates a 

 little before the end of the xvith. There are no setae upon the 

 elitellum. The seta formula is 



Segment I. V. XII. XX7.' 



27 27 39 45 



The oviducal pore is single and occupies the usual position. 



The 7)iale pores lie upon the xviiith segment within the line of 

 setse, which are, however, interrupted for a short distance on either 

 side of each pore. On the same segment are two pairs of large 

 sucker-like /^fif/JiV/rt", which seem to have a concave surface. The 

 anterior pair (Plate IX. fig, 8) he in front, and to the inside, of the 

 male pores ; the other pair occupy a corresponding position behind 

 the circle of setse of the segment, and touch the border-line between 

 the xviiith and xixth segments. 



The spermathecal pores were not evident. 



As to the internal anatomy. The alimentary tract is furnished 

 with a gizzard occupying the usual position and number of segments. 

 The paired ccBca of the intestine arise between the xxvith and xxviith 

 segments and reach forward as far as the xxvth. 



From segment xxviii. backward are paired series of " septal glands'' 



' The segments selected for enumeration are not quite the same as those 

 chosen by Prof. Bourne (Q. J. Micr. Sci. vol. xxxii. p. 53, footnote) ; but I 

 find that the proportions and numbers are not altered by the segments which 

 I give. 



