OCR Text |
Show 326 MR. A. E. SHIPLEY ON THE GENUS SIPUNCTJLUS. [Apr. 18, Mr. W. L. Sclater, F.Z.S., made some remarks on the Zoological Gardens of Antwerp and Amsterdam, which be had lately visited. In the Antwerp Gardens, amongst other interesting animals, was an example of the Ounce (Felis uucia), which appeared to be in good health. The female Hippopotamus which had produced the young male now living in the Society's Gardens was expected to give birth to another young one very shortly. The following papers were read :- 1. Notes on the Genus Sipunculus. By ARTHUR E. SHIPLEY, M.A., Fellow and Lecturer of Christ's College and Demonstrator of Comparative Anatomy in the University of Cambridge. (Communicated by F R A N K E. BEDDARD, F.R.S., F.Z.S.) [Received March 28, 1893.] (Plates XXV.-XXVII.) During his recent expedition to Zanzibar, Mr. F. Finn, F.Z.collected specimens of two species of Gephyrean worms of the genus Sipunculus; these were handed to me by my friend Mr. Beddard, and the following paper contains some notes on the anatomy and histology of these forms, together with a few observations on Sipunculids in general. Tbe two species are Sipunculus indicus and S. cumanensis ; the anatomy of the latter is well known. SIPUNCULUS INDICUS. The exterior of this Sipunculid is well shown in Keferstein's article in the ' Zeitschrift fur wissenschaftliche Zoologie ' (1), but unfortunately he had only one example at his disposal, and could not investigate the internal anatomy of the animal. The examples which Selenka had to describe for bis admirable monograph on the Sipunculidse (2), although externally well preserved, were so much macerated as to make any investigation of the soft internal organs impossible; he therefore had to content himself with adding a couple of lines to Keferstein's description of the external appearance of the Gephyrean, which he quotes. Sipunculus indicus is one of the largest species of the genus. The length of the four individuals placed in my hands was 18,17|, 17, and 15 inches respectively. Their bodies were very attenuated, the average diameter being \ to § of an inch, but their posterior ends were slightly swollen and ended in a truncated cone. The head of the animal is followed by a short neck (the introvert) covered with scale-like papillae (Plate XXVI. fig. 4); the rest of the body is very markedly ringed. The rings vary a good deal in their width, but as a rule they are about the same relative size as |