66 MR. P. E. BEDDABD ON THE ANATOMY AND 



distinctive character, and are metamorphosed into a mass of fibres uniting the pharynx 

 to the parietes, while the external segmentation is not distinct, since most of the 

 segments are, as in other Earthworms, divided again by additional transverse furrows. 



In front of the upper row of setse are a pair of apertures on either side of the body ; 

 these are the openings of the segmental tubes ; the position of these apertures is the 

 same as that found in Urochceta, Aniens, Bhmodrilus, Eudrilus, and Moniligaster ; in 

 Lumbricus and other genera the segmental tubes open in front of the ventral pair 

 of setse. 



When the animal was placed in spirit the orifices of the segmental tubes were 

 rendered very conspicuous by the expulsion through them of a quantity of fluid which 

 settled down as a fiocculent precipitate. 



The most careful search failed to show any dorsal pores ; as, however, these struc- 

 tures are occasionally absent in Earthworms (e. g. in Pontodrilus), the fact is not 

 remarkable. 



The specimen appeared to be fully mature, and the clitellum occupies about twenty 

 segments, from segment ten to thirty inclusive; it is however only developed upon 

 the dorsal surface, and is distinguishable in the living animal, and, to a less degree, after 

 prolonged immersion in spirit, by a light-green colour well shown in PI. XIV. ; on 

 the ventral surface of the body, in the region of the clitellum, the green colour is 

 replaced by a flesh-red, which faded to a yellowish grey under the action of alcohol. 



The male generative ducts open on to the eighteenth segment, but I was unable to 

 detect their apertures on the outside of the body ; the termination of each vas deferens 

 was, however, plainly visible from the inside. 



The position of the apertures is therefore within the clitellum, and Microchceta 

 clearly belongs to the intraclitellian group of Perrier. 



There are a number of papillae developed in certain of the anterior segments of the 

 body, which no doubt serve to attach the animals together during copulation ; they 

 correspond in every case to the innermost pair of seta?. The presence of such papilla? is 

 very common in Earthworms, and they are frequently provided with special glands. In 

 Microchceta the glands of the papilla? are arranged three to each papilla ; they are 

 somewhat oval in shape, and conspicuous from their whitish colour ; the three glands 

 are in contact with each other, and radiate outwards from the point of opening on to 

 the papilla. These glands are often termed capsulogenous glands, as they are believed 

 to assist in the secretion of the cocoon. 



Nephridia. 



The nephridia of this worm are very remarkable. Their orifice in front of the 

 upper pair of seta? (cf. PL XIV.) is noticed and figured by Rapp, who gives the following 

 description of the organs themselves (loc. cit. p. 143) : — ..." Runde Oeffnungen, die 



