862 AUSTRALIAN HIRUDINEA, II., 



as to measure as much as one-third of the body. These spaces, 

 however, show no traces of the botryoidal epithelium which was 

 described above in connection with the botryoidal sinuses. 



Nephridia. — No nephiidiopores could be seen in an examina- 

 tion of the entire animal, and unfortunately owing to the loss of 

 some sections in the preparation for microscopic examination, I 

 am unable to state exactly how many nephridia are present. 

 No funnels could be detected in a careful examination of the 

 sections, and in this respect we have a point of difference from 

 Herpobdella, Orobdella, etc., and an approach towards the condi- 

 tion in Hirudo, etc. In the anterior region of the body where 

 no ccelomic spaces occur, as described above, the nephridial canals 

 appear to communicate with the lateral bloodvessels. In the 

 region in which the botryoidal sinuses do occur, the nephridial 

 canal-structure is much more massive, and appears as a prominent 

 mass in section, lying on the inner side of the lateral bloodvessel, 

 between that structure and the botryoidal sinuses. The canal- 

 region of the nephridium runs dorsoventrally towards the 

 evacuatory bladder ventrally, and dorsally it is continued as a 

 complex massive structure to pass inwards between the botryoidal 

 sinuses which follow a circular arrangement, and those which are 

 more internally situated and surrounded by the outer ring of 

 sinuses. The canal is continued eventually as a less massive 

 structure, so as to come into close association with the sinus in 

 which lies the testis. The close connection between the canal- 

 cells and the sinuses is, no doubt, connected with the excretory 

 function of the cells of the botryoidal tissue, which are comparable 

 to the excretophore-cells of Glossiphonia. In connection with 

 those canals, which I mentioned above as being connected with 

 the lateral bloodvessels, I noticed a small bulging on the inner 

 side of the vessel; and this I regarded as corresponding to a 

 capsule. In this capsule I observed a lumen, but the details of 

 the connection between it and the nephridial canal I cannot tell, 

 although there seems no doubt, from the manner of their associa- 

 tion, that such a connection does occur. 



The nephridial canal-structure may be described as a sausage- 

 shaped mass bent in the form of the letter U, the convex side 



