FRIEND: ROSA ON THE REVISION OF THE LUMBRICIDI. 351 
Students will be grateful to the author for his clear and suggestive 
introduction to the study of species, and we note with pleasure that, 
out of three systems of notation employed by various writers, he has 
adhered to that which is in vogue in this country—that, viz., of 
regarding the peristomium, which is without bristles, as the first body- 
segment. A brief but ample account is given of all the most 
important features, both external (as bristles, pores, girdle, peristo- 
mium, clitellar papille, and colour) and internal (as nephridia, 
organs of reproduction, circulatory system, etc.) ; while an interesting 
paragraph is devoted to the classification of anomalous or abnormal 
_forms—bifurcated tails and heads, dissymmetry of organs, curtailing 
of segments, transposition of parts, and the like. 
As the genus Criodrilus is so far unrepresented in our native 
worm-fauna, we may omit it from present consideration. Under 
Allurus (pp. 69-74) mention should have been made of the well- 
marked varieties recorded by Eisen and myself. I may also remark 
that a most interesting species (A//urus macrurus Friend) reached 
me from Ireland last year, which had the girdle apparently on 
segments 15-22, with papillae on 20-21 (Nat., January 1893, p. 20). 
Unfortunately I have never been able to obtain duplicates. It comes 
hear to 4. tetragonurus Friend (Rosa, p. 74), but is distinguished 
_ from that species by the great length of the tail, the shape, and the 
Position of the girdle. Rosa keeps the last-named species for the 
Present distinct from Eisen’s ‘efragonurus, though he thinks they 
‘May probably be two forms of the same species. I had gone 
further and treated them as, in all likelihood, identical (‘Science 
Gossip,’ 1892). 
The fauna of Great Britain now includes fi species 0 of Lumbricus 
_ There are only seven species at present known to science. Three of 
these are widely distributed (rude//us, Pa. and herculeus, follow- — 
ing Rosa’s order and nomenclature). One is peculiar to Ireland 
_ (L.papiliosus Friend) ; one to the Alps (Z. melibeus Rosa); one to 
Austria (Z. polyphemos Fitz.) ; and one is of uncertain distribution. _ 
: _ In 1891 I described this species from specimens taken i in Yorkshire oe 
_ (not Zssex as stated by Rosa, p. 26), and named it Z. rubescens. 
_ Rosa has suggested its identity with Savigny’s Enterion festowm, a 
this be. so, it has been found in France, but not recorded sin ee alae 
So that practically its present known distribution is purely 
I have received it along with the four other species from Ireland. 
Rosa has not omitted to record the observations made in — 
years on bisa among oe (Pp. nee : 
The ¢ us Ad, “olobephora, as 
