REPORT ON THE ANNELIDA. 
V 
the Nemerteans and Planarians, but little to the Annelids, though an atlas of fifty folio 
plates (many coloured) enriches the work. The groups just mentioned, on the other hand, 
disappear from such works as The Zoology of Captain Beechy’s Voyage to the Pacific 
and Behrings Island in H.M.S. “Blossom,”^ and the Voyage autour du Monde par les 
mers de ITnde et de Chine execute sur la corvette de I’Etat la Favourite, though 
many other groups are mentioned in both works. 
The extensive area traversed by H.M.S. “Sulphur,” under the command of Sir E. 
Belcher, was barren of results in regard to the Annelids ; and even Mr. Darwin’s classic 
voyage in H.M.S. “Beagle” produced little in the department of the marine forms 
further than a few interesting Planarians, including a pelagic form in the open sea, off 
Fernando Noronha. 
During the Antarctic voyage of Sir James Eoss, Dr. (now Sir Joseph) Hooker^ 
mentions that Ditrypa and another Annelid were dredged at 400 fathoms, while 
between 200 and 400 fathoms, off Victoria Land, Serimlce and various other Annelids were 
procured by the same instrument. The interest taken by this author in the group is well 
shown by a series of carefully coloured drawings of Annelids made during the voyage in 
H.M. ships “ Erebus ” and “ Terror,” and forwarded to me by Mr. Murray for examination. 
These include examples of Syllis and Nereis, of the Phyllodocidse and Lumbrinereidse, 
fragments of the Terebellidse, and a complete young form, a species like Potamilla, and 
various examples of the Serpulidse, amongst which Serpula narconensis, with its roseate 
branchial plumes, appears to be represented. Excellent drawings of Tomopteris and a 
Pontobdella conclude the list. That a botanist should have done so much under the 
circumstances merits more than a passing comment. From the published account of 
this voyage^ a considerable amount of information is obtained about the nature of 
the natural harbours at Kerguelen, the muddy bottoms of which especially abound 
in Annelids. 
The latter are, again, absent from the account of the voyage of H.M.S. “Fly,”^ 
but the zoology of this expedition, it is true, comprises only four pages of the appendix. 
None occur in the invertebrates found during the voyage of H.M.S. “ Samarang.” ^ 
A change was now, however, looming in the distance, and the publication of Prof. 
Edward Grube’s account of the Annelids procured in the Eeise in den aussersten 
Norden und Osten Sibiriens,® forms one of the earlier indications of increased attention 
to the group. Several expeditions, however, the accounts of which were j)ublished after 
this date, give little information on the subject, such as the United States Exploring 
Expedition (C. Wilkes),^ the Voyage autour du Monde of “La Bonite,”® and 
1 London, 1839, 4to. ^ Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist, ser. i. vol. xvi. p. 238, 1845. 
3 Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions, London, 1847, 4 vols. 
* 2 vols. 8vo., London, 1847. 
^ Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. “ Samarang,” under Sir E. Belcher, London, 1850. 
® St. Petersburg, 1851. ^ Philadelphia, 1852. ® Paris, 1852. 
