A NEW NEMERTEA^^ 569 



interesting to note that the author describes each group (con- 

 taining about 20 eyes of various sizes) as sometimes showing 

 indications of a division, into an anterior and a posterior 

 group, and he says tlia,t " it suggests that the numerous eyes 

 of G. australiensis may have been derived by subdivision of four 

 eyes, two large anterior and two small posterior, such as we find 

 in G. chcdicophora.'' 



In Geonemei'tes dendyi tliere are four quite distinct groups of 

 eyes — two anterior groups of hirge eyes, and two posterior groups 

 of smaller eye-spots. There are five or six spots in each of the 

 anterior groups and three in each of the posterior, making a total 

 of sixteen. 



Anatomy. 



The anatomy of the animal as made out from serial sections 

 does not differ in any points of importance from that of G. aus- 

 traliensis. Unfortunately, the animal was fixed in an acid fixative 

 and consequently it is impossible to see anything of the calcareous 

 stylets. 



The epidermis and basement-membrane are both of the usual 

 type. There are no rod-like bodies, and calcareous bodies like 

 those described by Dendy in G. australiensis are not to be seen. 

 This, however, is no proof of their absence, for Dendy was never 

 able to find them in his sections although no acid fixative was 

 employed. 



W ithin the basement-membrane are two layers of muscle- fibres, 

 but judging from the figures the thickness of the layers is not 

 so great as in G. australieitsis. The outer sheath is of circular 

 fibres, the inner of longitudinal muscle-fibres. If a layer of 

 diagonally disposed muscle-fibres exists between these two sheaths, 

 it is not evident in the transverse sections. Tlie muscular dia- 

 phragm, described by Dendy as a develoj)ment in the cephalic 

 region, is well seen in the present species. 



The alimentary canal exhibits no new points. In the specimen 

 sectioned the lumen of the canal is almost obliterated by masses 

 of protoj^lasm such as have been described by von Graft" as 

 occurring under certain conditions in G. chalicoj^hora. The mouth 

 opens into the rhynchodasum as in G. australiensis and the New- 

 Zealand species. The position of the opening is in front of the 

 cei'ebral ganglia. 



7^he Lateral Organs. — Two distinct cephalic or ciliated pits are 

 to be found on the ventral surface near the anterior end of the 

 body. The ducts pass almost vertically upwards toward the 

 cerebral ganglia and then turn rathei' abiuptly and run toward 

 the sides of the body. Cilia can be traced in these ducts for a 

 considerable distance — they a.re to be seen where the ducts are 

 quite close to the ganglia. There is little to add further in con- 

 nection with these, except that the ducts come into rather intimate 

 connection with a curious mass of tissue lying ventrally and 

 slightly postei-iorly to the ventral lobes of the brain. This is 

 probably what Dendy calls the " oesophageal organ." The tissue 



