952 MR. H. R. MBHRA ON TWO NEW INDIAN 



the fine basal membrane surrounding the pharyngeal epithelium 

 is beyond doubt, and whether they penetrate the epithelium lying 

 in between the cells to open into the lumen I have not been able 

 to see. The pharyngeal gland cells extend also behind the 

 pharynx and lie in masses of a somewhat irregular kind in the 

 body-cavity near the first septum ; I believe that these also send 

 processes to the alimentary canal. The oesophagus occupies 

 segments 4-8 and differs from the intestine in its lesser diameter. 

 The epithelium is separated from the surrounding layer of muscle 

 fibres by a fairly continuous sinus, which is interru]3ted at a few 

 places by the epithelial cells meeting the muscular layer. The 

 oesophagus suddenly dilates about the middle of the 8th or the 

 beginning of the 9th segment to form the intestine, which in 

 structure corresponds to the oesophagus ; it occupies most of the 

 available space in the segment and is attached to the body-wall 

 by muscular strands. 



A large number of parasites belonging to the grovip Oiliata 

 Astomata (PI. III. fig. 12) were found in the intestine of the 

 majority of the specimens. 



Blood vascular system. — The blood is yellowish-red in colour 

 and devoid of corpuscles. The dorsal and ventral blood-vessels 

 are the only longitudinal trunks present, and they are connected 

 with each other by a pair of commissural vessels in every segment. 

 The dorsal vessel is contractile and extends throughout the length 

 of the body ; it occupies a dorsal position only in the first six 

 segments, after which it turns to lie ventrally on the left side 

 near the ventral blood-vessel. The ventral vessel divides in the 

 first segment to form a pair of slightly coiled vessels which unite 

 above to form the dorsal vessel. The peri-visceral vessels are large 

 and undulating ; they lie in the posterior part of the segment in 

 front of the septum. In the region of the pharjmx they form a 

 series of loops around it ; in the posterior portion of the body 

 they lie very close to the body-wall and make it appear vascular, 

 but they do not branch to form such a cutaneous plexus as is 

 present in some of the Tubificids. In the 6th segment the dorsal 

 vessel communicates with the ventral vessel by a pair of short 

 lateral hearts. The intestine also is surrounded by a sinus, which 

 lies outside the gut epithelium and is interrupted at a few places 

 by the epithelial cells touching the muscular layer outside ; it is 

 directly connected with the dorsal vessel by means of a short 

 vessel once in each segment. The dorsal vessel is usually en- 

 larged in the 7th segment, where it turns on the left side ; the 

 peri- visceral vessels in the region of the sperm and ovisacs become 

 enlarged in the sexual phase and lie coiled round them. The 

 absence of supra-intestinal and sub-intestinal vessels as well as 

 the parietal network indicates the simple condition of the vascular 

 system, which is emphasized by the presence of a fairly continuous 

 peri-intestinal sinus as in the ISTaididse. The vascular system 

 therefore is much simpler than that of Ttihifex, Ilyodritus, and 

 BrancMura. 



