118 ACCOUNTS, ETC., OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 



" In spite of older and newer investigations it is not yet 

 known whether Eunice harassii of the Channel, E. torquata 

 of the Atlantic coast of France, and E. clai^aredii of the 

 Mediterranean are three species or one species. 



" Again, it is interesting to note that the second longest 

 Polychset species of the English Coast remained forgotten for 

 close upon one hundred years, until / rescued it. I refer to 

 Maclovia iricolor (Montagu, 1802). 



" In the course of my work I felt a desire to examine the 

 types of species and genera of Nercidoi established by Kinberg 

 about the year U':(J-"i. I accordingly made proper application 

 through the Museum authorities, as a result of which the 

 Director of the Royal Museum at Stockholm sent over the 

 collection referred to. 



" After the lapse of so many years the specimens liad 

 suffered serious deterioration, and most of the many species 

 were represented by single and fragmentary pieces. iS'ever- 

 theless, I gained much information therefrom, which I have 

 since been able to turn to account in connection with the 

 latter work. 



" I had seen a notice in a publication issued by the Indian 

 Museum at Calcutta to the effect that a large collection of 

 Polychaeta was awaiting examination, and upon pointing this 

 out to Prof. F. Jeffrey Bell, he wrote to Dr. Alcock, and the 

 collection was duly forwarded. It is a large and represen- 

 tative collection, and I regret that I have not been able to do 

 justice to it, not having had time to sort out the species. 

 My working time (three days a week) was broken into, but 

 not unpleasantly, by the arrival of the Southern Cross 

 Collection, to which, fortunately, I vjcls able to do justice. 



" I also wished to recover some of the types which had 

 heen described in 1861 by Schmarda, and to this end 

 obtained, after due application through the proper authorities, 

 valuable collections from the Cape (South African Museum) 

 and Jamaica (Dr. Duerden). I have worked through the 

 collection from the Cape, and hope shortly to publish an 

 illustrated report upon it in the Quarterly Journal of 

 Microscopical Science. 



"Then an extensive collection of small worms has been 

 sent to me for examination on the part of the Skeat Expedi- 

 tion to the Siamese States of the Malay Peninsula and 

 Singapore, collected by Mr. Richard Evans. These were 

 very well preserved for finer anatomy, but not altogether 

 satisfactorily for diagnostic purposes. 



" I also contributed some specimens from the South West 

 Pacific, and more were added by Messrs. Bedford and 

 Lanchester from Singapore, and by Mr. Goodrich from 

 Madras. 



"Having been appointed Curator of the Georgetown 

 Museum last year, Mr. Richard Evans, of Oxford, came in 

 August to take my place, the idea being that I should help 

 him over the initial difficulties. 



