226 DR. W. B. BENHAM ON [NoV. 15, 



With regard to the reproductive system, the testes and ovaries 

 are on the posterior wall of their segments, as in 0. thomasi and 

 other species. The penial cheetse are small and do not appear 

 internally, but on each of the prostate pores, when examined 

 under a lens, the broken bases of two dark chfetse are visible. 



The spermathecpe are unsymmetrically developed ; on the right 

 side the normal two pairs are present in segments 8 and 9, but on 

 the left side the anterior sac is absent. Each spermatheca is a, 

 simple ovoid sac (text-fig. 45, p. 225), with a short, thick duct 

 which forms an acute angle with the sac (probably owing to the 

 contraction of the body). There is apparently no diverticulum, 

 but in the stained and clarified organ there are seen to be a number 

 of small saccules, irregularly arranged and embedded in the wall 

 of the duct ; they do not form any projection, but are situated in 

 the widest part of the duct, where it is bending to reach the body- 

 wall ; and though I have not yet sectionised the organ, it appears 

 as if their presence here caused the duct to be of greater diameter 

 at this spot. 



Remarks. — The form of the spermatheca and the arrangement 

 of the oesophageal glands suffice to distinguish this species from 

 any hitherto described. 



DmoDRiLoiDES, gen. nov. 



Ch£et£e 12 per segment. Clitellum girdle-like, on segments 

 14-16 (=3 segments). Prostate pores, one pair, on the 17th, 

 and male pore on 18th segment. A single spermatheca, opening 

 at 8/9. Meganephric : pores in line not alternating. Gizzard in 

 segment 6. 2 pairs of testes, segments 10, 11. 2 pairs sperm- 

 sacs, in segments 11, 12. Prostates: a single pair much coiled, 

 cylindrical. 



DiNODRILOIDES BEDDARDI, Sp. n. (Text-figS. 46, 47.) 



A single specimen of this interesting worm was collected by 

 Mr. H. Suter at Auckland. 



The colour (in the specimen preserved in alcohol) is a very 

 distinctive bluish grey, equally dark in tint along the entire 

 length, and the pigment extends down the sides to the ventral 

 siu'face, which, however, is paler and becomes yellowish in the 

 hinder region. The clitellum is yellow-brown. 



The worm consists of 95 segments, and measures 78 mm. x 

 4 mm. 



The chcetce are arranged as in Dinodrilus '^ — that is to say, there 

 are 1 2 in each segment ; in 3 couples on each side, the individuals 

 of which are widely separated, so that the 6 are practically equi- 

 distant, while the dorsal and ventral gaps are only slightly greater 

 than the other gaps. The middle couple {c-d) are lateral in 

 position. 



* Prof. Spencer lias recently described an Australian Cryptodriline genus, Triclieeta, 

 with six couples of chsetse {vide Proc. Roy. Soc. 1900, p. 30). 



