1/0 MR. F. E. BEDDARD ON WORMS [Feb. 16, 



for and might very easily escape attention ; the muscular duct of the 

 atrium becomes very narrow just before it opens into this sac. 



PeRICH^TA MAURITIANA, n. Sp. 



In August of last year I received from Kew a number of living 

 Earthworms which had been accidentally imported from Mauritius; 

 they proved on examination to belong to two distinct species : one 

 is a TJrochceta, indistinguisbable, so far as I can see, from Vrochceta 

 corethrura ; the other is a Ferichceia belonging apparently to a new 

 species. 



At present one species oi Perichceta is known to occur in Mauritius ; 

 and a second, although described from Australia, is believed to be 

 indigenous to Mauritius. The first is Perichaeta mauritii of Kinberg, 

 which cannot be satisfactorily identified ; the second — Perichceta 

 peregrina — has been lately described by Mr. Fletcher \ and so can- 

 not be confounded with Perichaeta maiiritiana, which comes much 

 nearer to Perichceta robusta from the neighbouring He de France. 



The colour of the living worms was reddish brown, with a pale 

 greyish-brown clitellum. Their habits are those of other species of 

 Perichceta. 



The length of the largest specimen, after preservation with corrosive 

 sublimate and alcohol, is 80 mm. 

 The number of segments is 85. . 



The clitellum occupies the usual segments ; the last segment of 

 which it is composed has a short row of setse in the middle ventral 

 line, as in Perichasta hermudensis. 



The oviducal pore is single and median upon segment xiv. 

 The atrial pores are in the line of setse of segment xviii. ; the setae 

 are interrupted for a short distance on each side of both apertures. 



The genital papillce are restricted to the neighbourhood of the 

 atrial pores. There are three on each side, lying below and to the 

 inside of the atrial pores. 



The gizzard lies in segments viii. and ix. ; it apparently does not 

 extend, as this organ so often does in other species of Perichceta, 

 into segment x. 



The usual pair of cceca are present, which originate from the 

 intestine in segment xxvi. and extend forwards to the anterior 

 boundary of segment xxv. 



There are two pairs oi spermatheccB in segments vii. and viii. The 

 diverticulum is as long as, or perhaps rather longer than, the sperma- 

 theca itself. It consists of a slightly sinuous tube with a globular 

 extremity. 



There are two pairs of receptacula ovorum (Plate X, fig. 5), both 

 of which have the form which seems to be so generally met with in 

 this genus of Earthworms. The organ is oval, with a long tail 

 directed towards the median ventral line. The receptacula ovorum 

 are attached to the front wall of segments xiii. and xiv. The anterior 

 pair lie above the ovaries. 



^ "Notes on Australian Earthworms, Part II.," Proc. Linn. See. N. S. W. 

 Bcr. 2, vol. i. p. 069. 



