154 NICOLEA VENUSTULA. 



of further examination, though but a single pair of branchiae occurs in each with 

 sixteen and fifteen bristle-tufts respectively in the first and second. Whatever may be 

 the result in regard to these northern forms, the British species of Nicolea now define 

 themselves more clearly, notwithstanding all the variations in branchiae, bristles and 

 hooks. 



Two varieties of the species are found, viz., those from deep water, with the anterior 

 pair of large branchiae on long stalks, and the littoral forms with short branchiae. Some 

 might be inclined to make two species, but the general structure and especially the 

 hooks of the two forms so closely agree that for the present they may be united. 

 In this connection the figures of Malmgren are not diagnostic. It is interesting that 

 all the smaller forms (his N. zostericola) kindly sent by Dr. Allen from Plymouth had 

 small branchiae and fifteen pairs of bristles, whilst all the larger (his N. venustula) had 

 seventeen pairs of bristles. The hooks of the two were identical, and it has to be 

 remembered that whilst the anterior hooks have but a single tooth above the main fang 

 in lateral view, or at most indistinct traces of a third, the posterior hooks have two teeth 

 above the main fang. 



So far as present experience goes it seems to be unnecessary to separate 

 Scione lobata, Malmgren, from the foregoing, even though examples are found 

 with only a single pair of branchiae. At least no basis for this view has been 

 satisfactory. 



Montagu's account (1818) is brief, and there is nothing distinctive in the figure, 

 to which the artist has given an eye on each side of the anterior region. He dredged 

 it on the south coast of Devon at Torcross. It had seventeen pairs of bristles, an 

 orange-red body, thickly and minutely marked with red spots. 



Daly ell 1 (1853) gives a description and figure of Terebdla metadata, a form about 

 1-J inches long, and the "lower" extremity of which ends in points. A single pair 

 of sparsely divided branchiae only occur, the tentacles have spots of brown, and he 

 mentions "a row of short, obtuse teeth" on each (probably referring to crenations). 

 It is mottled, patched, or speckled with various colours, wherein brown, green and 

 yellow predominate. Its tube is composed of grains of sand attached to corallines. This 

 may refer to another species of Nicolea. 



The Polymnia viridis of Malm 2 (1874) approaches Nicolea in general appearance and 

 in the branchiae. 



A critical survey of the genus and species is given by von Marenzeller (1884), who 

 points out that the number of the branchiae and the number of the bristle-tufts vary, 

 the former from two to three and the latter from fifteen to seventeen. The southern 

 examples would appear to form a distinct variety, in which the three branchiae and 

 seventeen pairs of bristle-bundles are common. 



Cunningham and Ramage 3 (1888) describe a Scione maculata (Terebella mactdata, 

 Johnston) with sixteen pairs of bristle-tufts anteriorly and a lateral semicircular lobe on 

 each side from the third segment. The anus has six to seven conical papillae. They 



1 l Power's Creat./ vol. ii, p. 203, pi. xxviii, figs. 10 — 19. 



2 < Goteborg Fauna/ p. 97. 



3 'Trans. Roy. Soc. Edin./ vol. xxxiii, p. 665, pi. xliv, fig. 27. 



