Land Nemer leans.] SUBANTARCTIC ISLANDS OF NEW ZEALAND. 675 



Internal Characters. 



The Reproductive Elements. — Perhaps the most striking peculiarity of this species 

 is the possession of spiral spermatozoa. The conclusion, based on their existence 

 in the testes, that these really were spermatozoa was confirmed by the result of a 

 staining reaction with Flemming's triple stain. If this stain is used with tissues 

 which contain spermatozoa in various stages of development it will be found that 

 the ripe spermatozoa have a very strong affinity for the gentian violet, with the result 

 that they assume a purple colour of a much greater intensity than that taken on 

 by any of the other tissues. I have tested this effect of this stain with G. australi- 

 ensis, in which the disposition and contents of the testes have been described by 

 Dendy, and found that it picked out the ripe spermatozoa with extraordinary sharp- 

 ness. The effect in G. sfirospermia was no less striking. 



The only specimen of this species is a male. But, in view of the possibility of 

 the occurrence of protandrous or protogynous hermaphroditism in these worms, I 

 do not consider that this solitary observation justifies the statement that G. spiro- 

 spermia is dioecious. 



The Proboscis. 



The number of proboscideal nerves is 18. The number of reserve stylet- 

 pouches is 4 ; and these are seen in a transverse section to be arranged, as it were, 

 at the four points of the compass — that is to say, there are four single stylet-pouches 

 equidistant from one another. 



The accessory lateral nerve exists as a ganglionic strand running along the dorsal 

 surface of the nerve-cords. 



Geonemertes caeca, n. sp. 



The single specimen was obtained at Enderby Island. 



External Characters. 



This worm is 10 mm. long ; it is 2 mm. broad at the anterior end and 1-25 mm. 

 at the posterior. The proboscis had been everted, but probably only partly. The 

 colour of the spirit specimen was a very pale cream, and there were no traces of 

 markings on it whatsoever. The specimen was examined, both in spirit and in 

 cedar-wood oil, for eyes, but Professor Dendy and I were both unable to detect any 

 trace of these organs. 



There is no note that this animal was subjected to treatment different from 

 that to which G. spirospermia was subjected, so that there is no ground for sup- 

 posing that the absence of markings and of eyes are other than the natural 

 characters of the worm. 



Internal Characters. 



The single specimen contained ova only. The number of proboscideal nerves 

 is 17 ; and the number of reserve stylet-pouches is 5. The exact arrangement of 

 these is difficult to make out, because the proboscis was cut longitudinally. It is 

 not possible to state that the 5 pouches are equidistant from one another ; but it 

 can easily be seen that there is no association of neighbouring pouches of such a 

 kind that the two come to be close together. 



