Report on an Earthworm, &c. By Dr. W. B. Benham. 1G7 
Both the gonads and their ducts are evidently in a very early 
condition of development, and closely resemble those figured by Bergh 
in early stages of Lumbricus* * * § 
The funnels of sperm and oviduct are evidently formed, in the 
same way as Bergh has described, as a modification of part of the 
nephridial funnel, f and the cells do not yet bear cilia ; the ducts 
are apparently not yet formed. 
I figure (fig. 17) a portion of a longitudinal section through 
septum XI/XII, showing a normal nephrostome, on one side of which 
is the commencement of the sperm-funnel ; it closely resembles Bergh’s 
fig. 19, if the sperm-funnel were drawn out laterally. 
The nephridia are present as a pair of large tubes in each 
segment behind the fifth ; each consists of a “ narrow tube,” with 
funnel, a “ middle tube,” and a wide tube as in Lumbricus. This 
nephridium is much shorter than in that genus, and the tube is less 
convoluted (fig. 13); the muscular duct is relatively greatly developed, 
and is produced into a caecum, extending up the side of the intestine 
nearly to the dorsal vessel. The nephridiopores are in a line with the 
outer couple of setae. The anterior segments are occupied by a pepto- 
nephridium (fig. 5, pth) such as we find in Urochseta and other 
genera. It is a large mass of tubules lying at the side of the pharynx 
and oesophagus ; the tubules have every resemblance to that of an 
ordinary nephridium, and at least two funnels are present, one in the 
sixth, the other in the seventh. I have not been able to ascertain 
whether the duct opens internally to the pharynx, or externally. 
As to the nervous system and vascular system I have nothing 
characteristic to describe, except the position of the subneural vessel, 
which, instead of being surrounded by the sheath of the nerve-cord, 
as in Lumbricus, is removed from this, and in fact lies in the body- 
wall (see fig. 13), as Beddard has recently described in Periclideta.% 
There are peculiar sacs in VIII and IX with several setae lying 
below the calciferous glands in the latter segment, and apparently 
isolated from the epidermis. I do not know the meaning of these 
structures. 
The Affinities of Eminia . — It is “ meganephric,” non-prostati- 
ferous, octochaetous ; hence it belongs to one of the three families, 
Geoscolecidee (mihi), Bhinodrilidse (mihi), or Lumbricidse.\ With the 
last it cannot be included, owing to the forward position of gizzard, 
lateral position of nephridiopores, and for other reasons. 
From the Khinodrilidae it differs in the possession of a single pair 
of testes, and sperm-sacs, although in the position of gizzard, 
nephridiopores, and nephridial caecum it resembles some of the 
members of the family. 
* Zeitsehr. f. Wiss. Zool., xliv. pi. xxi. figs. 20, 21, 22. 
f Cf. also Bedclard, Proc. Koy. Soc., 1890. 
J Q. J. M. Sci., xxx. pi. xxix. fig. 7. 
§ Op. c., xxxi. p. 218. 
