55 
present  in  segment  IV,  V  and  VI,  and  their  proximal  portion  lies  just  next 
to  the  mucous  gland  and  is  so  closely  connected  with  it,  that  Bed- 
daed  probably  took  the  funnels  of  those  nephridia  for  those  of  the  mucous 
gland.  Though  my  observations  therefore  do  not  confirm  Beddard's 
statements  about  the  structure  of  the  mucous  gland,  I  will  not  assert , 
that  his  view  as  to  the  morphology  of  this  organ  is  entirely  disproved. 
I  never  observed  any  alternation  of  the  nephridial  pores  in  this 
worm,  as  described  for  many  other  earthworms. 
In  his  first  communation  about  L.  corethrurus  Fritz  Müller  calls  the 
attention  upon  the  fact,  that  all  larger  specimens  on  a  fourth  of  the  body- 
length,  in  front  of  the  caudal  extremity ,  show  a  small  region ,  where  the 
body-wall  is  strongly  dilated ,  and  which  in  preserved  worms  looks  as 
another  clitellum.  During  life  this  enlarged  spot  is  of  a  lively  red  colour ,  as 
if  inflammation  exists  there;  it  consists  of  five  to  ten  segments ,  which 
are  devoid  of  bristles  and  are  more  or  less  distinctly  separated  from  each 
other.  These  segments  have  the  appearance  of  being  recently  formed, 
and  the  author  therefore  suggests,  that  in  this  spot  a  formation  of 
new  segments  takes  place.  Perrier  in  his  elaborate  paper  on  the  ana 
tomy  of  this  worm  states,  that  his  examination  is  not  confirmatory 
of  Fe.  Müller's  view  and  he  thinks  the  dilatation  of  the  body  only 
to  be  due  to  the  bulging  of  the  intestinal  canal ,  because  just  on  this 
spot  the  typhlosolis  terminates  and  the  intestine  passes  into  the  rec- 
tum. Beddard1),  who  some  time  ago  also  had  the  opportunity  of 
examing  living  examples  of  this  worm ,  cannot  agree  with  Perrier's 
opinion.  He  found  that  in  the  dilated  spot  „the  bristles  are  not  always 
absent  -   as  stated  by  Fr.  Müller  -  but  that  they  (when  pre- 
sent) are  extremely  small  and  easily  overlooked;  this  suggests  that 
they  are  embryonic  setae.  Furthermore  the  epidermis  in  this  region  of 
the  body  is  without  the  large  oval  glandular  cells ,  which  are  so  cha- 
racteristic a  feature  of  the  integument  in  all  Oligochaetae.  All  the 
cells  are  more  or  less  alike.  This,  again,  I  take  to  be  a  embryo- 
nic feature.  In  the  third  place,  the  intestine  in  some  individuals 
was  very  much  contracted  in  diameter,  and,  as  already  mentioned, 
was  empty  of  earth."  His  conclusion  is:  „it  appears,  therefore, 
to   be   likely   that    new   segments  in   Urochaeta  are 
1)  Ann.  and  Mag.  of  Nat.  History,  1891,  p.  95.  Quartl  Journ.  Micr.  Science,  Vol. 
XXXI,  p.  163. 
