10 MR FRANK E. BEDDARD ON THE 



its being more nearly allied to the " Terricolse " of Rosa than to, for example, the Lum- 

 briculidae ? 



Does Moniligaster find a place among the Terricolse as thus defined ? 



Rosa, points out that there is a serious discrepancy between the statements of Dr 

 Horst and myself with regard to the position of the various organs of the reproductive 

 system. " It is a remarkable fact that in the description by Beddard of M. Barwelli it is 

 possible to reconcile the positions assigned by him to the various parts of the reproductive 

 system with that given by Horst, by moving the first two segments further back. The 

 spermathecse open, according to Beddard, in the intersegmental groove 6/7 ; according to 

 Horst, in 8/9. The male pores are for Beddard in the intersegmental groove 9/10, and 

 for Horst in that of segments 11/12. The sperm sacs, according to Beddard, depend 

 from dissepiment 8/9, and according to Horst from dissepiment 10/11. Is it possible 

 that in two related species there is such a difference ? Is there not rather in one of the 

 two cases an error of enumeration ? In that case I shall regard as exact the data of 

 Horst, as they do not demand the admission of any exceptional fact." Dr Rosa omits 

 to mention that Perrier's data are exactly midway between those of Horst and myself; 

 on a priori grounds, I should have considered it more probable that the mean would be 

 correct ; in any case (with no prejudice to Dr Horst's statements of fact, which, however, 

 it is very desirable that he should re-examine), Perrier, I have convinced myself, is 

 right as to the segments upon which the spermathecse (his anterior vasa deferentia) and 

 atria open ; Bourne also [6] mentions the same segments as bearing the generative pores 

 in all of the seven species described by him. This point may therefore, I think, be re- 

 garded as settled. But this correction of my own error, as well as of Rosa's, does not so 

 far invalidate his conclusions — at least not seriously. The statement that " the first pair 

 [of testes] is sometimes wanting " will have to be changed to " the second pair," &c. 

 This point may be conceded. But the position of the ovaries and oviducts will not agree 

 with his definition. Both Perrier [10] and Bourne [6] speak of a sac containing ova 

 occupying segments XII-XV; this must surely be not ovary, but receptaculum ; hence 

 in all probability the ovary does not lie further back than in segment XL No one has 

 as yet found the ovaries of Moniligaster. The oviduct has been partly described by 

 Horst and by myself [4]. I have referred briefly to an organ in segment XI, which 

 is probably the oviducal funnel ; I have since traced this through septum XI/XII, but 

 not as far as to its external orifice. This structure may conceivably be a second pair 

 of vas deferens funnels, but it does not seem at all likely that this is so. It is therefore 

 a fair assumption that the ovaries are in segment XI. ; but in any case it seems extremely 

 probable that the oviducts have been so far correctly described, and that therefore in 

 this particular Moniligaster does not conform to Rosa's definition of the Terricolse. 

 While therefore, at any rate for the present, I abstain from examining into the natural- 

 ness of this group Terricolse, I feel obliged to oppose the relegation of Moniligaster to 

 this group. 



Dr Rosa defiues his group Terricolse entirely in terms of the modifications of the re- 



