70 Miscellanea Zoologica. 



round perforations, and covered with little heaps of its tubular and 

 spiral excrements. When disturbed, they descend in their furrows 

 with great rapidity, and to a considerable depth ; when taken they 

 throw themselves into violent contortions, as they " were waxed 

 mad," during which the body generally separates into several por- 

 tions, or loses its antennae, which always separate at their very base. 

 Their several portions retain their vitality for at least some days, 

 which they evince not merely by their contortions when pricked, 

 but even by moving from one place to another. The animals are 

 named " Rag worms" by our fishermen, and are used in this neigh- 

 bourhood as bait to take the fry of the coal-fish. 



This genus is evidently very different from any characterized by 

 Audouin and Milne- Edwards. I have seen two species, of which 

 the characters are : 



1. N. vulgaris, head obtuse and lunated in front. PI. II. Fig. 

 1-8. Spio vulgaris,^ Johnston in Zool. Journ. iii. 335 and 487- 

 Hab. The shore between tide-marks. Very common in Berwick 

 Bay. 



Description. — This worm is from 3 to 4 inches in length, of a 

 yellowish-brown colour, dusky in places from the contents of the 

 intestine, and marked with red cross lines from the overlapping 

 branchial filaments. The head is prolonged above the month into 

 a sort of triangle, the base being outwards, and each angle prolong- 

 ed into a short conical point somewhat contractile. There is a 

 black spot on the vertex, and the bases of the tentacula are also 

 stained with black, where the eyes, which are very small, are pla- 

 ced in pairs, but in several specimens I have not been able to detect 

 these organs. The antennae are rather more than half-an-inch long. 

 The last ten segments appear to be defective in the branchiae, and 

 to have a more developed ventral foot and longer bristles than any 



of the others. Plate II. Fig. 1, N. vulgaris of the natural size. 



2. The anterior portion enlarged. 3. A view of a segment cut trans- 

 versely. 4. The caudal extremity. 5. A branchial filament sepa- 

 rately. 6. Another view of a branchia. 7- Bristles much magni- 

 fied. 8. Oviform bodies. 



2. N. coniocephala, head conical. PI. II. Fig, 9-J3. Spio viri- 

 dis, Johnston in Zool. Journ. iii. 486. 



Hab. In sand near low- water mark. Berwick Bay, not uncom- 

 mon. 



Description Worm from 4 to 8 inches long, as thick when full 



grown as the little finger of a boy, flattened dorsally, rounded on 



