136 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



or golden pigment in the posterior segments. Some of the specimens contained 

 large spindle-shaped spermatophores as long as the diameter of the body. 

 The penis- sheath is slightly bent and widened at both ends. In the brief 

 description, without figures, of L. Wordsworthianus, by Friend (torn, cit.), 

 there are no characters which would separate it from the above species. 



Mature — February, March, April. 



Hahitat — England. E. Douglas, Adlington, Lancashire. 



Distribution — Ireland ; England ; Europe. 



Limnodrilus long'us Bretscher. 



1901. L. I., Bretscher in Eev. Suisse Zool., ix., p. 204. 



This species is distinguished by the comparative length of the penis- 

 sheath. In the Irish specimens the length was 21 times the breadth. Bretscher 

 gives 20 to 1 as the proportion. The sheath has a broad and shallow funnel- 

 like expansion at the distal end. The anterior nephridia are enveloped in 

 bladder-like cells. The length is 20-25 mm., and there are 4-7 seta3 in the 

 anterior bundles. 



Mature — January, April. 



Habitat — Ireland. Pond in Phcenix Park, Dublin. E. Annalee, Bally- 

 haise, Co. Cavan. 



Distribution — Switzerland. 



Limnodrilus aurostriatus n. sp. 



Plate VII., fig. 3, A-G. 



These worms are 25-30 mm. long, and very slender. They are bright 

 red in front. The tail is paler in colour ; and each segment has two golden 

 rings formed by pigment- bearing glands in the epidermis. The front 

 ring is in a line with the set£e, the second at the posterior margin of the 

 segment. 



The segments are biannulate (PI. vii., fig. 3, A) ; and the epidermis is 

 covered with clear glands. There are 6-8 setse in each bundle. The teeth 

 of the setse are nearly equal in length ; but the lower tooth is the thicker 

 (fig. 3, b). In the anterior setie the teeth are almost parallel (fig. 3, b, a); 

 but in the posterior setas they diverge much more (fig. 3, b, b). The oeso- 

 phagus begins in the 5th segment, and is covered with dark peritoneal cells. 

 The brain (fig, 3, c) is almost square. In a state of rest, the posterior margin 

 is almost straight, but when contracted it is slightly concave. The anterior 

 border is slightly conical; and the median outgrowth is only represented by 



