336 MR. F. E. BEDDARD ON EARTHWORMS [Mar. 16, 



in Queensland (and the rest of the Australian continent) ; spines 

 powerful, closely set, and entirely hiding the hairs ; 2nd claw on 

 hind foot very long. 



Huh. Common in all localities visited in Arnhem Land, in- 

 habiting hilly and mountainous country. Not seen at Boebuek 

 Bay (N.W. Australia). 



The Echidna is highly valued for food by the native*, and, 

 according to Dr. Dahl, its flavour is excellent. 



Native names : Melk, Gruarang. 



3. On a Collection of Earthworms from South Africa, 

 belonging to the Genus Acanthodrilus. By Frank E. 

 Beddard, M.A., F.R.S., &c. 



I have to thank Mr. W. L. Sclater, F.Z.S., Director of the 

 South African Museum, for kindly forwarding to me a well- 

 preserved series of Earthworms and also a few aquatic species, 

 collected in the neighbourhood of Cape Town by Mr. Purcell 

 of the South African Museum, and forming part of the collection 

 of that Museum. The worms were without exception in an 

 excellent state of preservation for microscopical work, having 

 been prepared with chromic acid or corrosive sublimate, followed 

 by alcohol. Extremely few specimens of Oligochasta have been 

 hitherto collected in the Cape Colony. I am only acquainted with 

 Acanthodrilus cajjensis, Perichceta cajjensis, and Microchceta from 

 the near neighbourhood of Cape Town. The new species of earth- 

 worms of which specimens are contained in the collection forwarded 

 to me by Mr. Sclater all belong to Acanthodrilus (sensu stricto). This 

 fact is of considerable interest. Tropical Africa has numerous 

 representatives of the family Acanthodrilidse ; but they are all 

 members of the well-marked genus Benhamia. Up till the present 

 time the sole instance of a true Acanthodrilus from that continent 

 is the species described by myself some years ago as Acanthodrilus 

 capensis. I shall, however, comment more fully upon this new 

 fact in the distribution of the genus after describing the new 

 species. 



The table on p. 337 will serve to discriminate the species 

 described in the present paper. 



The main points of difference are indicated in the table. All 

 the species, however, agree in certain particulars. In all of them 

 the clitellum is of somewhat limited extent — limited, that is to say, 

 as compared with some other species of the genus. The utmost 

 extent of that region is from segment xiii. to segment xvi. In 

 only one species, A. africanus, is the clitellum less than this, and in 

 no species is it larger. In aU these species the setae have an 

 unusual, but not unknown arrangement. The ventral setae are 

 comparatively strictly paired ; they are at any rate closer together 

 than are the lateral setae ; aud in nearly all the species there is a 

 closer approximation of the ventral setae in a few segments on 



