850 



CONTRIBUTION TO AUSTRALIAN OLIGOCHiETA, II., 



are visible. As to what relationship there may be between the 

 nature of these chambers and the immaturity of the worm, I am 

 not in a position to say, but I am inclined to regard them as 

 representing a state of degradation of the posteriorly situated 



spermathecse. The walls of the 

 chambers consist of — (1) Incon- 

 spicuous flattened epithelium. (2) 

 Circular musculature constituting 

 the main portion of the wall. And 

 (3) inconspicuous flattened epithe- 

 lium. Within the chambers are 

 present a great number of spherical 

 or ellipsoid sacs, the mass of which 

 are invested by a thin membrane 

 isolated from the wall of the cham- 

 ber. These sacs measure 0*008 mm. 

 in the direction of their longest 

 mass of highly refringent granules 

 similar, in themselves, to the granules which I have described 



in segment xii. in Astacopsidrilus 

 notabilis, and in the epithelial 

 cells of the spermathecal chambers 

 of that species. In connection 

 with some of the chambers there 

 is a cellular mass having much 

 the appearance of the corky tissue 

 of plants. This, from its distri- 

 bution, would seem to represent the 

 portion which originally connected 

 together the chambers themselves, 

 the latter representing the swollen 

 portion of the original spermathecal 

 structures as the result of septation. No oviduct or female genital 

 aperture is visible, but it is distinctly noticeable that the 



Fig. 4 — A spermathecal (?) cham- 

 ber, loaded with ellipsoid 

 sacs. 



axis, and contain a 



* Fig. 5. — Diagram showing different portions of a nephridium. 



bid. bladder — gr. portion of granular tubule — ra. portion showing striations 



— npr. nephridiopore 



