380 TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



in outline, and its wall shows the same layers as are to 

 be seen in the wall of the pouch, but their structure and 

 arrangement are somewhat different (PI. V, fig. 23). 

 There is a very marked change in the character of the 

 cells forming the inner epithelium. There has been 

 considerable discussion amongst the earlier observers as 

 to whether the epithelium of the duct is ciliated or not in 

 the spermathecae of species belonging to the family 

 Tubificidae. Beddard, although he mentions the views of 

 different authors upon the subject, does not venture any 

 opinion himself. He states in his general account of the 

 spermathecae of the Oligochaeta that ciliation does not, 

 as a rule, occur, but that it has been described in a few 

 forms, for example, Tubifex. As no reference was given, 

 I have been unable definitely to trace the paper from 

 which he obtained this information. It seems likely, 

 however, that he is referring to a paper by Nasse (1882), 

 which he mentions in his general description of the family 

 Tubificidae. Nasse definitely states that there are cilia in 

 the duct of the spermathecae of Tubifex, " In 

 Ausfuhrungsgange tragt das Epithel eine Cuticula und 

 flimmert." Vejdovsky (1884), careful observer though he 

 was, has denied the presence of cilia, and Stole in his 

 monograph on the Tubificidae (1888) does not figure 

 them. I am now in a position to confirm the statement 

 made by Nasse, for in sections of the spermathecal duct, 

 both transverse and longitudinal, the cilia are particularly 

 obvious (PI. V, fig. 23, ci.). They are not visible when 

 one examines the spermatheca in the living condition, for 

 the wall of the duct is rendered opaque by a thick, 

 muscular covering. The epithelium of the duct is 

 composed of a single layer of cells almost columnar in 

 shape, but considerably longer than broad, and with 

 large oval nuclei. The cilia are rather short, shorter 



