486 Oy THE ATEIUM -O-U PROSTATE IX THE OLIGOCH^TA. [May 16, 



of the male ducts are combined into one structure. Aud in 

 Tuhifex their separation is more apparent than real. It is, in fact, 

 far easier to object to current terms than to invent suitable new 

 ones. In considering this question the origin of the so-called 

 atria must be borne in mind ; there are, as has been pointed out, 

 strong reasons for believing them to have been produced by a 

 redaction of glandular sacs often furnished with modified seta 

 found in the neighbourhood of the male pores and of the sperma- 

 tothecse ; primarily, we are to suppose, they have no connection 

 with the male pores ; it would, however, be inconvenient to speak 

 of them when limited to a single pair into which the sperm-ducts 

 open as "copidatory glands,'" for by doing so their specialized 

 condition woidd be lost sight of ; it would be the same thing as 

 calling the sperm-ducts uephridia. The Aarious difficulties will 

 perhaps be obviated if we speak of them in those cases where they 

 have a clear relation to the sperm-ducts as " spermiducal glands." 

 This term has the advantage that it has not been before used in 

 the group and hence has no preconceived meaning attached to it ; 

 it is also to a considerable extent actually descriptive of the 

 structures in question. 



List of Liteeatuee eefeeeed to. 



1. V^AiLLAJfT, L. — "Xote sur I'Anatomie de deux Espuces du 



geni'e Ptrichoita^ &c." Ann. Sci. Xat. (5) x. p. 225. 



2. Clapaeede, E. — " Eecherches anatomiques sur les Oligo- 



chetes." Mem. Soc. Phys. Geneve, t. xn. 2me partie. 



3. Yejdovskt, F. — System und Morphologie der Ohgochaeten. 



Prag, 1884. 



4. Beddaed, E. E. — " Xote on the Eeproductive Organs of 



21oinUgasUr'' Zool. Anz. 1887, p. 678. 



5. Beddaed, F. E. — " On the .Structure of three new .Species of 



Earthworms, with Eemarks on certain Points in the 

 Morphology of the Oligochaeta." Quart. Journ. j\Iicr. 

 Sci. vol. xxix. p. 101. 



6. Bedd.lbd, F. E. — " Contributions to the Anatomy of Earth- 



worms : Xos. I., II., UI." P. Z. S. 1887, p. 372. 



7. Beddaed, F. E. — " A new Branchiate Ohgochsete, Brancliiura 



soiverbii." Quart. Journ. Micr. Sci. vol. xxxiii. p. 1. 



8. Beddaed, F. E. — " A Contribution to the Anatomy of Sutroa."' 



Trans. Eoy. Soc. Edin. vol. xxxA^ii. 



9. Beddaed, F. E. — - On some new Species of Earthworms 



from various parts of the World." P. Z. S. 1892, p. 666. 



10. Bexh^^m, W. B.— "Atrium" or "Prostate"? Zool. Anz. 



1890, 1). 368. 



11. Gaem.y>', H. — " On the Anatomy and Histology of a new 



Earthworm (Dtplocardia commvais, gen. et sp. nov.)." 

 Bull. IlUnois State Lab. vol. iii. p. 47. 



12. Eisen, G.— " Oligochsetological Eesearches." Eep. Comm. 



Fisheries for 18S3, p. 879 (1885). 



