246 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
ANNELID BIONOMICS. 
By Rev. Hiuperic FRIEenp. 
So little is known of the life-history and bionomics of our 
indigenous annelids that any facts which will lead us along 
right lines, or give us clues, are of value and should be made. 
public. It is many years since my attention was first directed 
to the observation of one branch of this subject, viz. the 
Seasonal Order of Appearance. It seems perfectly clear that 
among the smaller annelids, especially the Enchytreids and 
the Tubificids, there is an ordered appearance, and that certain 
genera or species follow each other in a sequence which is 
significant. Sometimes different species of the same genus 
appear in a locality at different times. In other cases one 
genus leads the way and another genus follows. Under certain 
conditions it would appear as if genera which are members of 
different families and orders had a special relationship to each 
other, while at other times the relationship is confined to 
members of the same family or genus. 1 can best make my 
subject clear by adducing a few concrete illustrations, the result 
of researches undertaken by aid of a Government grant. 
I go back, in the first instance, to an experience I had 
many years ago in my own garden. I had planted a row of 
celery, but found it did not thrive. This led me to seek for the 
cause, and I soon discovered that certain white worms (Enchy- 
treids) were at the roots of the plants. They may possibly 
not have been the original cause of the sickness, but it was 
very evident that they were doing their part in carrying out the 
work of destruction. I studied the species carefully, and wrote 
some account of the matter for publication. Some time later I 
examined the plants again, and was surprised to find that a 
new species of Enchytreid was now at work upon them. This 
led me to inquire whether there might possibly be such a thing 
as a larval form of Enchytreid, or whether the annelids belong- 
ing to this group ever showed different stages in their life- 
