1897.] FROM SOUTH AFRICA. 339 



on account of the series of longish spines which occur along the 

 two edges. A higher power reveals the fact that the spines are 

 really arranged in complete rows which entirely surround the shaft 

 of the seta for the distal half to one-third. The actual extremity 

 is free of spines. 



(2) Acaathodrilus arundinis, n. sp. 



Of this species there were four examples in the collection, 

 of which three were fully mature with a clitellum. They were 

 collected "in and under loose clods of dead sedges on edge of 

 water. 



It is a slender and small species, measuring some 40 mm. in 

 length. I counted 75 segments. 

 The prosiomium is incomplete. 



The clitellum completely encircles the body and embraces half of 

 segment xiii. together with segments xiv., xv., xvi. 



The spermathecal pores are conspicuous orifices lying on the 

 boundary lines of segments vii./viii., viii./ix., on a hue with the outer 

 of the two ventral set«. 



The spermidmal-gland pores are highly conspicuous and lie in a 

 position corresponding to the ventral couples of setie. The two 

 pores of each side of the body are connected by a groove which 

 passes to the outside of the ventral couple of setae of the xviiith 

 segment. 



On the last segment of the chtellum there was (at any rate in 

 two of the sexual specimens — I did not examine the third before 

 sUcing it for microscopical purposes) a single median genital 

 papilla. 



The setce are arranged in couples. The distances between the 

 individual setae vary somewhat in different regions of the body. 

 Anteriorly the two setse of each ventral couple are about half the 

 distance from each other of that which divides the two lateral setse. 

 On the xvth and xvith segments the two ventral setse approach 

 each other, and on the xviiith they are very close together. After 

 this they again diverge, and on the rest of the body the proportions 

 between the intersetal spaces are much as in the anterior region 

 of the body. The gradual approximation of the ventral setse at 

 the male pore is parallelled in that section of the genus Microscolex 

 which Eisen proposed to call Deltania. On segments xvii. and 

 xix. the ventral setse are replaced by the modified penial setse. 



The gizzard is but slight ; it lies in segment v. The circular 

 muscles, which are ordinarily so strong in this organ, are in the 

 gizzard of the present species not much thicker than the lining 

 epithelium. 



There appear to be no calciferous glands. 



The spermathecce are, as usual, two pairs ; they are globular thin- 

 walled pouches, each having two diverticula. The duct of the 

 main pouch which leads to the exterior is very thick-walled and 

 muscular, and into it open the diverticula. This duct was plugged 

 •with a mass of spermatozoa surrounded by a non-staining thick 



