INTRODUCTION. 
Verm, 3 
The most important work on the 1 Jirudinea is the full description of 
the interesting genus Acanthobdella by A. Kowalevsky (100), and of 
Arcbcaobdella by the same author. Blanchard, as usual, has several 
papers on the group, including one on Asiatic, one on S. American 
Leeches (23) & (24) ; and Simon (204) & (205) and Bertelli (19) add to 
our knowledge of the nervous system, and of the different glands of 
Leeches, respectively. 
Blochmann (25) has a treatise on the epithelium of Platyhel- 
minthes, a subject which is also dealt with by Braun (33) and Jammes 
(96). Riggenbach (177), Fuhrman (65), and Pintner (166), deal 
with the anatomy and morphology of the genus Ichthyotcenia , Davainea , 
and of the Tetrabothridce respectively ; Otto (153) with that of the 
A mphistomidm amongst Trematodes, and Looss (118) describes a number 
of new Trematodes from Egyptian animals. 
Not very much work has been done on the Nemertines during the year 
Burger (37) describes some new S. American species. Lebedinsky’s 
work on the early development of Drepanophorus is important. 
With regard to the Turbellctria , several very interesting new Polyclads 
are described by Pleiin (167)-(169). Amongst others he describes (167) 
a new Planocerid with alimentary opening to the exterior by large pores, 
and a new genus in which there is a second pharynx of different struc- 
ture to the other, usual, one. The arrangement of the gonads and the 
branchiug of the alimentary canal is peculiar in other new species, and one 
species is described without eyes J agerskiold (95) describes a new genus 
of ectoparasitic Triclad which has no eyes, but otherwise has no special 
modifications for parasitic life. v. Graff (79) discusses the morphology 
of the genital system of Land-Planarians, and (78) gives an abstract of 
a forthcoming monograph dealing with their geographical distribution 
and systematic arrangement. The peripheral nervous system of fresh- 
water Dendrocoels has been studied by Monti (140), and a European 
species of Haplodiscus is described by Sabussow (189). 
Stossich (219) has an important monograph of the genus Ascaris, while 
Looss (117) deals with the anatomy and histology of the oesophagus in 10 
species, and Zoja (248) with the early stages of development in one 
species. Mei t er (133) describes the anatomy and histology of 3 new 
species of Nematodes from Ceylon. 
ROmer’s systematic monograph of the Gordiidce has appeared (179), 
and, together with the descriptions of some new forms by Camerano 
(40). is likely to be of great service to students of the group. 
With regard to the Acanthocephala , not much new work has been 
done, although Shipley’s detailed account of his now genus has ap- 
peared (201). Conant (43) has some notes on the classification of the 
Chcetognatha , objecting, like most other students of the group, to the recog- 
nition of 2 genera when the definitions of the two have been so often 
confused. He describes the process of egg-laying in a Sagitta. 
Of collective works, the “ Ergebnisse der Hamburger Magalhaenische 
Sammelreise, i ” adds to our knowledge of the S. American Oligochceta 
(Beddard & Ude), Gephyrea (Ftscher), Cestoda (Lonnberg), Trema- 
toda (Braun), and Nemathelminthes (v. Linstow), and affords evidence 
in some cases of the specific ideutity of Antarctic and Arctic forms, a 
fact which is also insisted upon in the important memoir by Murray 
(146). The second volume of the “ Cambridge Natural History’’ [see 
Harmer & Shipley (84)] gives well illustrated accounts by different 
authors of the several groups comprised under the term “ Vermes ” (with 
the exception of the Hemichorda ), most of which will prove very useful. 
