374 MR. F. K. BEDDARD ON THK ['^P'"- ' 9> 



The male generative pores are related to the ventral pair of setae, 

 and are situated upon the 17th segment. 



In the position of the reproductive apertures the present species 

 agrees with all the other species except E. decipiens, where the 

 female pores are upon the 12th segment. 



§ Integument. 



The epidermis is covered, as in other Earthworms, by a delicate 

 cuticle ; the cells of the epidermis are of two kinds, {\) tall columnar 

 cells, (2) oval glandular cells (Plate XXXIII. fig. 14, b) : these 

 resemble exactly the epidermic cells of other Earthworms. 



In one particular the epidermis of Eudrilus differs from Lumbricus, 

 and the majority of other genera of Lumbricidee, and agrees with 

 XJrochdEta, a genus with which it does not show any other marked 

 resemblances. Between the setae on all the segments of the body is 

 a ro^v of peculiar structures, which appear from the investigations of 

 Vejdovsky to represent degenerate or abortive setae ; they consist in 

 eacli case (fig. 14, a) of a small splierical body darkly stained by borax 

 carmine, which is lodged in an invagination of the cuticle. The 

 cuticle, however, instead of forming a single layer round the central 

 body, is split into a number of layers like the coats of an onion ; flat- 

 tened deeply stained nuclei are situated between these layers. These 

 structures are also found upon the clitellum, and they invariably lie 

 at the base of the epidermis, just above the circular muscular 

 layer. 



The structure of the clitellum is precisely similar to that of Lum- 

 bricus. 



The circular muscle'layer resembles that of other Earthworms ; 

 numerous pigment-granules lie between the individual fibres on the 

 dorsal side of the body. 



The longitudinal muscular coat shows the bipinnate arrangement 

 of its fibres which Claparede ' was the first to describe in Lumbricus. 

 This fact is worth mentioning, inasmuch as it is unusual in Lum- 

 bricidae ; in by far the majority of instances the longitudinal muscle- 

 layer does not s''ow this bipinnate arrangement. I should remark 

 that in the anterior region of the body, Eudrilus does not show the 

 characteristic bipinnate disposition of its fibres. 



§ Alimentary System. 



The most interesting feature about the alimentary canal relates to 

 the calciferous glands, «hich are, in many respects, rather different 

 from those of other Lumbricidse. The other sul)divisioi;s of the 

 alimentary tract are of no special interest, and do not differ materially 

 from those of the more typical genera, such as Perichxta. I may 

 state that I have not observed any traces of a tijphlosole ; the 

 absence of this structure, which is generally present in Eartliworms, 

 allies Eudrilus to Pontodrilus. Nor are there in the present species 

 intestinal glands such as those which are characteristic of Eudrilus 



^ Zeitschr. f. wi88. Zool. 1869. 



