184 
The British Leeches 
Distribution, Food, etc. This species occurs in France, where it 
was first noticed by Dutrochet (1817, p. 130) near Chateau-Renaud 
(Indre et Loire); in Italy where Blanchard (1892 b) found it in great 
abundance in the Ligurian Apennines, and in Algeria (Moquin-Taudon, 
1846, p. 310). It has not been recorded from Scotland or Ireland, and 
in England it has appeared at rare intervals, but on more than one 
occasion in considerable numbers. Harting (1877, pp. 515—523) has 
collected all available information relating to its occurrences, real or 
alleged, in this country up to the year in which he wrote. 
The first reliable record of the appearance of Dutrochet’s leech in 
England is given by Gray (1850, p. 52) who refers to a single example 
taken in Regent’s Park, which was sent alive to the London Zoological 
Society’s Gardens and subsequently added to the British Museum 
Collection and catalogued by Johnston (1865, p. 45). 
Lee (1871, p. 21; cited by Harting, loc. cit.) found it on the Croydon 
Sewage-irrigation Farm at Beddington and noted its occurrence, upon 
hearsay evidence only, (1) on the Sewage Farm belonging to the same 
town, at Norwood, (2) in Hampshire, and again (3) in abundance, at 
Lindfield in Sussex. 
Harting (loc. cit. p. 521) refers to a considerable correspondence 
relating to this species which appeared in the Natural History columns 
of Land and Water, in 1869, and elicited the fact that Mr Broadwood 
had noticed for many years previously examples of T. subviridis on the 
lawns and paths of his garden at Lyne, between Dorking and Horsham, 
in Surrey. I have had the opportunity of examining three specimens 
from this source, presented to the University Museum of Zoology at 
Cambridge by Mr M. R. Pryor, from whom I learn that this leech has 
been recorded again recently from the same locality. Mr Pryor informs 
me further that he has taken T. subviridis in the catch pits of drains 
in garden paths. He reports it from Elstree in Hertfordshire and the 
Cambridge Museum possesses an example taken by him at Capel, in 
Surrey, in 1891. In May, 1909, Dr F. W. Gamble was good enough to 
send me some examples of T. subviridis which had beeir found at the 
Withington Sewage Works, near Manchester, where these leeches fre¬ 
quent the sewage effluent channels and devour the earthworms which 
are washed out of the contact filtration beds. To the courtesy of 
Mr Hugh Stowell, Chief Inspector of the Mersey and Irwell Rivers 
Board and Mr C. H. Ball, Manager of the Withington Works, I am 
indebted for additional material and information. Its occurrence, except 
in the last instance, at no place very remote from London, its first 
discovery in Regent’s Park and the fact that several leeches described 
