the Euniceaceae there are never less than seven jaws, and in the Amphinomenacea there are none. Such also is the case with many of the Nereides, although several genera in this family have two jaws, and a few even four; but the pairs, unlike those of Aphroditaceæ, are perfectly distinct and widely separate. SYNOPSIS OF GENERA. 1. Aphrodita. Body oval or elliptical: the scales and superior cirri not coexistent on the same foot, but alternating proboscis with rudimentary and cartilaginous jaws or none: antenna one only palpi two, large: eyes two. 2. Lepidonotus. Body linear-oblong: the scales exposed and alternating with the superior cirri: proboscis with corneous jaws : antennæ three, unequal: palpi two, large: eyes four. 3. Polynoë. Body linear-elongate, vermiform: rest like Lepido notus. 4. Pholoë. Body oblong: the scales placed over every alternate foot: cirri none or rudimentary: proboscis with four corneous jaws, the orifice plain: antennæ five, unequal, distinct: palpi two, large eyes two. 5. Sigalion. Body linear-elongate: the scales and superior cirri coexistent on the same feet, the former placed over every alternate foot until the 27th segment, whence they follow uninterruptedly to the end of the body: proboscis with corneous jaws : antennæ rudimentary: palpi large: eyes none*. 1. APHRODITA +. Halithea, Savigny, Syst. Annel. 11 & 18. Lam. An. s. Vert. v. 306. Char. Body ovate or oblong, the back convex, covered with fifteen * Oersted's synopsis of the family is as follows: 1. Branchiæ alternating with the cirri. a. The back with a tomentose covering b. The back without such covering. Genera. APHRODITA. a. Scales 12-15 pairs, entirely covering the back. LEPIDONOTUS. B. Scales 15-40 pairs, leaving the greater portion of the back uncovered 2. Branchiæ not alternating with the cirri. (Scales to all the rings; no superior cirri.)........ POLYNOË. PHOLOË. + Aphrodite the Greek name of Venus. In its application to a sea-worm, there may be some allusion to the supposed derivation from appòs, 'foam of the sea.' Hesiod calls Venus appoyéveta, foam-sprung.' pairs of scales either concealed by a felt or exposed; the venter distinctly separate, flat, marked with the dissepiments and a longitudinal mesial furrow: head small, concealed, with one pair of eyes: proboscis encircled with compound tentacles; the jaws small, and sometimes obsolete: antenna one, mesial, small; the palpi two and long segments 39, with scales on the 2nd, 4th, 5th, 7th, and every alternate segment to the 25th, and on the 28th and 32nd; the intervening segments with a dorsal cirrus: feet stout, biramous, with three fascicles of bristles, two on the dorsal and one on the ventral branch; and each foot has a ventral setaceous cirrus: bristles various, simple or compound, with a spine in each fascicle. No anal styles. The Aphrodite are oval in shape, and the rings of the body do not exceed thirty-nine. The head, more or less concealed by the scales or by the bristles, has two somewhat elevated eyes, and a small solitary subulate antenna; but the palpi are comparatively large. The orifice of the proboscis is encircled with penicillate tentacula, and armed, in general, with thin cartilaginous jaws. The feet are distinctly biramous, and garnished with three bundles of bristles, two of which belong to the dorsal, and the third to the ventral branch. The first pair of feet are small, and furnished with long tentacular cirri; but the posterior do not differ notably from the rest. The bristles of the dorsal branch are sometimes very complicated; those of the ventral simple or forked. The cirri are subulate, -the inferior small, the superior long. The scales are large, either naked to view, or concealed by a coarse felt formed by the bristles of the dorsal branch of the feet. There are fifteen pairs, and the 13th are always attached to the feet of the 25th segment, the pairs which precede this alternate on every other ring with the superior cirri, and the pairs which succeed it are placed on every third ring. The branchiæ consist of tubercles sometimes indistinct, often broken on their edges, disposed in transverse rows; and, like the dorsal cirri, they cease to appear and disappear alternately posterior to the 25th pair of feet. They sometimes differ very little from the protuberances which afford attachment to the scales. *Scales concealed. 1. Aph. aculeata, hair-like bristles of the dorsal branch of the foot green and golden, forming a splendent fringe round the sides; the spine-like bristles dark brown. Length 3-4". Plate IX. Physalus, Mouff. Theatr. Insect. fig. in tab. ad finem. Jonst. de Insect. lib. iv. tab. 28. Eruca marina Rondeletii pilis in dorso instar colli Columbinii variegatis, Sibb. Scot. illustr. pars sec. lib. iii. 32. Scolopendra marina, Molyneux in Phil. Trans. Abridg. iv. 133, and 368, pl. 3. f. 6, 7. Aldrov. Insect. 636. f. 1. * The 4th and 5th rings are, however, both squamiferous. Eruca sive Scolopendra marina, Seba, Thesaur. i. 141. tab. 90. f. 1-3; iii. 9. tab. 4. f. 7, 8. Vermis aureus, Oligerus Jacobæus in Acta Hafniæ, iii. 8 & 88, cum fig. Mus marinus, Linn. Syst. edit. 1756, 79. Aphrodita nitens, Linn. Faun. Suec. 367. no. 1284; Mus. Adolph. Aphrodita elliptica versicolor, and the Sea-Mouse, Hill, Hist. Anim. Aphrodita subrotunda, Hill in lib. cit. 91. Aphrodita aculeata, Linn. Syst. x. 655; xii. 1084; Faun. Suec. 2nd Aphrodite hérissée, Brug. Encyclop. Méth. vi. 85. Halithea aculeata, Savigny, Syst. Annel. 19. Lam. Anim. s. Vert. v. Hab. The coralline region, common on the British coasts. Desc. Body from 3 to 5 or even 8 inches long, oval, narrowest behind, convex dorsally, the back of an earthy colour, roughish, with a thick close felt of hair and membrane, forming a sort of skin which entirely conceals the scales; the sides clothed with long silky green and golden hairs clustered in fascicles, and glistening like burnished metal, with blackish-brown spiniform bristles intermixed: ventral surface flat, often light-coloured and dotted, sometimes dark brown, obsoletely ribbed across. Head small, entirely concealed, roundish, with two round clear spots or eyes on the vertex: antenna minute: palpi large, subulate, flesh-coloured or dusky, jointed at the base, where they approximate, but are separated by a black membranous crest mouth with a large edentulous proboscis; the orifice encircled with a short, even, thick-set fringe of compound penicillate filaments ivided into two sets by a fissure on each side; each filament has a short stalk with a tuft of numerous forked papillæ on its summit; exterior to the orifice of the proboscis there are four fleshy tubercles placed at the angles. Scales fifteen pairs, roundish, smooth, thin and vesicular, blotched with black stains and specks, the first pair small, laid over the head, the anal pair oval. Feet thirty-nine pairs *, largest and most developed near the middle of the belly, very small and approximate at the anus, biramous, the branches wide asunder; the superior carries, in a sort of crest-like fashion, the long, flexible, brilliant coloured bristles which form the silky fringe on each side of the body, and above them some still more delicate hairs, which, by their intertexture, constitute the membrane covering the scales, and with which the strong spiniform bristles are intermixed, placed in a sort of cross series: the inferior branch is armed with three rows of stout short bristles; in the upper row only two or three which are longer and stouter than those of the next row in which there are five or six; and which again are stouter, but less numerous than those in the lowest row. Spine golden-yellow, conical, smooth: superior cirrus long, subulate, bulged at the base; the inferior short and conical. Anus large, with a dorsal aspect, encircled with several tentacular cirri. The very vivid iridescent hues which the hairs of this remarkable worm reflect, render it an object of wonder and surprise to the most incurious they are not equalled by the colours of the most gaudy butterfly, and rival the splendour of the diamond beetlet. It creeps at a slow pace, and in its progress a current of water is projected at short intervals, and with considerable force, from the anus. When placed in fresh water, the creature gives immediate signs of its painful situation, and soon dies, first ejecting a white milky fluid, and, in the agony of death, a large quantity of a blackish-green turbid liquor. The size and strength of the proboscis is remarkable, and not less so the structure of the filaments which garnish the orificet. The œsophagus is short; the stomach and intestine seem to be alike and inseparable;-together they form a straight intestine, sometimes with a wide dilatation in some part of its canal, with a velvety inner surface folded into longitudinal plaits near the termination at the anus. Although planted round with offensive arms of apparently considerable strength, the worm is said to be a favourite prey of the cod-fish, in whose stomach specimens, in a perfect condition, may be * Pallas says, "constanter 40-41. Horum 2 primi minuti, compressi submutici, ex oris quasi palato antrorsum producti, villo barbati, at setis et cirrho destituti." "Eh aculeata Aphrodita!" (Linn. Mus. Fred. xv.) "The Aphrodita aculeata reflecting the sun-beams from the depths of the sea, exhibits as vivid colours as the peacock itself spreading its jewelled train." (Linnæus in Smith's Tracts relating to Natural History,' p. 32.) "L'or, l'azur, le pourpre, le vert, se nuancent à leur surface de mille manières, et ces couleurs, souvent irisées, se trouvent dans une harmonie parfaite avec les réflets chatoyans et successifs des anneaux de leur corps. L'aile du papillon n'a pas reçu une plus brillante parure que ces vers cachés au fond des eaux, et enfoncés quelquefois dans un limon noir et boueux." (Audouin and Milne-Edwards.) "Cuinam bono isthæc sint animantia me latet: serviunt tamen summis Dei miraculis demonstrandis, quæ loquitur, quidquid vel mare, vel terram incolit." (Seba, Thesaur. i. 142.) Pallas says that the Aphrodites, perhaps, receive their nourishment from fuci (Misc. Zool. p. 77). The structure of the proboscis seems unfavourable to this opinion; and as the habitat of Aphroditæ is the coralline region, animal food would be more within reach. sometimes obtained. Baster tells us that the sexes are distinct : "Hæ Aphroditæ eodem, quo pisces, modo generare videntur; et si quis earum quasdam Junio mense dissecuirit, mares lactibus, fœmellas multis ovis instructas videbit." (a) Firth of Forth, Lieut. Thomas, R.N. (6) Berwick Bay, Dr. Johnston. (c) Berwick Bay, Dr. Johnston. PLATE IX. Fig. 1. Aph. aculeata of the natural size. 2. The head uncovered. 3. The head detached and somewhat magnified. 4. Under view of the anterior part of the body. 5. The orifice of the proboscis. 6. The proboscis laid open by a longitudinal section. 7. A few of the penicillate filaments magnified. 8 & 9. Two views of the feet. 10. Various bristles. 11. The spine. 2. Aph. borealis, proboscis edentulous; setaceous bristles of the dorsal branch of the foot without splendour, few; those of the ventral branch simple; all smooth. Length 14"". Plate X. fig. 1-13. Aphrodite borealis, Johnston in Ann. Nat. Hist. iv.370. pl. 10. f. 1–13. Hab. Coralline region: rare. Desc. The specimen described is 14 lines in length, and 4 in its greatest breadth: the body is elliptical, rather narrower posteriorly than in front, of a uniform greyish-white colour, somewhat hairy and hispid on the sides from the various bristles which garnish the feet (Pl. X. figs. 1, 2). The scales form a series on each side; they are roundish, smooth, thin and flexible, vesicular in the specimen, probably from immersion in spirits; there are fifteen pairs of them, but the first two pairs and the three caudal ones are so small as to be easily overlooked. The head (fig. 3) is entirely concealed under the front scales; it is furnished with two proportionably large, setaceous, smooth palpi, approximated at the base, but I was not able to detect any antennæ. The mouth (fig. 4) is inferior, large, circular, puckered, armed with a strong retractile proboscis, the orifice of which is encircled with a row of tentacular papillæ (fig. 5), but there is no appearance of jaws. There seemed to be 30 feet on each side, but, from the closeness and minuteness of the posterior pairs, the number was not very exactly to be counted: they are biramous, the branches widely apart. The dorsal branch (fig. 6) of every alternate foot carries a scale or elytron, and is armed with spines, various bristles, and a sort of tangled hair, which partially covers the scale. It is shorter than the ventral branch, obtuse, somewhat sinuated, and contains two spines: the dorsal fascicle of bristles is long, reflected backwards, the bristles unequal in length, rather slender, sharp-pointed, smooth, and curved: the next fascicle consists of similar bristles, but shorter; and there is a still lower fascicle of very slender ones. The ventral branch (fig. 7) of the foot is strong, rugose, obtusely conoid, covered with minute transparent vesicles, and armed with five stout bristles, and with a spine of a yellowish |