ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 
627 
cured which has a rough and coarse appearance, and is of a dark dirty 
brown colour. 
Mr. Kyle’s observations on the nephridia appear to confirm in all 
important particulars the observations of Benham, and the same seems 
to he true of the reproductive organs. 
Sense-Organs of Lumbricus agricola.* * * § — Miss F. E. Langdon has 
made a study of the sense-organs of this earthworm. She comes to the 
conclusion that its epidermis contains a sensorial apparatus composed 
of definite groups of sense-cells, the outer ends of which pass through 
the cuticle, as sense-hairs, while their inner ends give origin to nerve- 
fibres which pass directly to the central nervous system. 
The large number of these sense-organs, their distribution over the 
whole of the body, and their great abundance at certain points account 
for the well-known and extreme sensitiveness of earthworms. The 
sense-cells are the only cells with which the nerve-fibres are connected. 
They are, therefore, the nutrient centres of the sensory fibres and 
true ganglion cells ; if there is any differentiation in function between 
sense-organs in different regions it does not appear to be correlated 
with any pronounced differences in structure. The efferent nerve-cells 
which pass from the nervous system to the epidermis are not in con- 
tinuity with any cells in the latter. They form a subepidermal network 
which gives rise to intra-epidermal nerve-fibres, which end freely between 
the epidermal cells. 
Earthworms from Sumatra.^ — Dr. D. Rosa describes a collection 
made by E. Modigliani in Sumatra. It includes Moniligaster Modigli - 
anii sp. n., Benhamia Modiglianii sp. n., and eight new species of Peri- 
chseta. 
A further collection J from the Mentawei Islands^ included another 
new species of Perichseta. 
Leeches from Tojoland.§ — Dr. R. Blanchard has had an opportunity 
of examining some leeches from Tojoland in the possession of the Berlin 
Natural History Museum. He forms for these specimens a new genus 
which he calls Praobdella, two species of which can be recognised. It 
must be owned that the diagnosis of the genus which is given is not 
very elaborate. However, the study of it has enabled the author to 
suggest the division of the sub-family Hirudininm into two smaller 
groups. One he calls Distichodonta and the other Monostichodonta. 
In the former the jaws are armed by two rows of a few obtuse teeth, 
while in the latter there is one row of many acute teeth. The new 
genus and Hsemopis belong to the former, Hirudo and Limnatis and 
Hirudinaria to the latter. 
N ematohelminthes . 
New Singhalese Nematodes. jj — Dr. A. Meyer describes the follow- 
ing new forms: — Filaria Zschokkei from Manis pentadactyla, Strongylus 
* Journ. Morpliol., xi. (1895) pp. 193-232 (2 pis.), 
f Ann. Mus. Civ. Genova, xvi. (1896) pp. 502-32 (1 pi.). 
X Tom. cit., pp. 607-9. 
§ Arch. f. Naturg., 1896, pp. 49-53 (1 pi.). 
1| Tom. cit., pp. 54-82 (2 pis.). 
