Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 24.djvu/726

Rh 1584 W O R W O K In having the form of simple sinuous (not coiled) tubes, and in lying within the peritoneum, the nephridia are iu a very archaic condition; the same thing occurs in the Capitcllidee ; in the higher Annelids the nephridia lie within the ccelom, and are usually much coiled and complicated in structure. The vascular system consists of a dorsal and a ventral trunk, which traverse the thickness of the. dorsal and ventral mesenteries. The development of these vessels shows that their cavity is continuous with the blastoccele, and is not a secondary canalization of a solid chain of mesoblast cells, as is so commonly the case in the Annelida. The two trunks communicate in every segment except the last two or three by two lateral vessels, one on each side ; each of these latter gives off a crecal tube running backwards along the somatic peritoneum. Thus the vascular system undergoes but little modification in different segments. In Protodrilus the blood vessels have no walls, and therefore permanently retain a condition which is found in the young Polygordius before the adjacent mesoblast cells have become differentiated into an extremely delicate membrane. The condition of the vascular channels in Polygordius represents that of the larval Polycli&ta and Oligoch&ta before the special muscular walls have been formed. ^Eolosoma, however, is identical with the adult Polygordius in these particulars. The digestive tube consists of only a single layer of ciliated cells covered by a single layer of peritoneal cells, and is therefore in an embryonic condition as compared with the Chsetopoda and Oligo- clueta. It is, however, specialized into a pharynx, (esophagus, and intestine. The nervous system is extremely simple, and lies in the thickness of the epidermis, thus presenting an embryonic character, which is, however, met with in certain Polychseta. In Polygordius the cerebral mass is situated in the prostomium, and communicates by a circumcesophageal commissure with a ventral cord which is single and median, and shows no trace of ganglionic enlargements. In Protodrilus there are two ventral cords, while in Histriodrilus there are a series of ganglionic swell ings. A nervous plexus also exists in the thickness of the longitudinal muscles. Polygordius is of separate sexes ; Protodrilus is hermaphrodite. The sexual products are developed in all except the first few and last few segments from the lining of the ccelom ; the ova and sper matozoa are apparently liberated by the rupture of the body-wall. Histriodrilus has special efferent ducts for the ovaries and testes (found in different individuals), the nature of which is not yet settled. Polygordius leaves the egg as an active larva, first discovered oy Loven. This larva is shaped like a humming-top, and has a preoral circlet of cilia ; immediately behind this on one side is the mouth, which leads into an alimentary canal opening at the posterior end of the body ; at the apical region is an ectodermic thickening. Spencer, &quot; Nepliriclia of Earthworms,&quot; Nature, June 28, 1888; (13) Scharff, &quot; Ctcnodrilus,&quot; Q. J. M. S., 1S87 ; (14) Fletcher, &quot;Australian Earthworms,&quot; Proc. L. S. iV. S. W., 1886 ; (15) Vcjdovsky, Syatem u. Morphol. d. Oligochaten;! (i6)KUkenthal, &quot;Lymphoidzellen d. Anneliden,&quot;./. Zeitxdi., 18S5; (17) Bourne &quot;Indian Earthworms,&quot; J roc. Zoo!. Soc., 1886; (18) Burgh, &quot; Excretionsorgane d. Wttrmer,&quot; Kosmos, 188. r, ; (19) Id., &quot; Geschlechtsorgane d. Rcgemviirmer,&quot; Zeilfch. /. iciss. Zool., 188G. On Archiannelida see Fraipont, &quot; Polygor- diiit,&quot; Fauna vnd Flora des Golfen r. Neapel (complete, references to previous papers). ( F . B &amp;gt; WORMS, one of the oldest, and from an historical point of view one of the most interesting, cities in Germany, is situated on the left bank of the Rhine, in the grand-duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt, 25 miles south of Mainz and 20 miles north-west of Heidelberg. The town is irregularly built, and some of the old walls and towers still remain, but its general aspect is modern and commercial. The chief squares are the market-place and the Dom-Platz. Worms formerly contained many ecclesiastical buildings, now represented by eight churches, two of which, however, are no longer used for divine service. The principal church and chief building is the spacious Romanesque cathedral, which ranks beside the cathedrals of Spires and Mainz among the famous ecclesiastical edifices of the Rhine. This magnificent building, with four round towers, two large domes, and a choir at each end, has a specially 1 This work is a general summary of investigation into anatomy of Oligochvta up to 1884, with complete list of literature. For this reason the present bibliography refers only to more important papers published since that date. imposing exterior, though the impression produced by the interior is also one of great dignity and simplicity, height ened by the natural colour of the red sandstone of which it is built. In this last particular it differs from the cathedrals of Mainz and Spires, where the natural colour of the stone no longer appears in the interior. Only the lower part of the western towers belongs to the original building consecrated in 1110; the remainder dates from 1181, with the exception of the west choir and the vault ing, which were built in the 13th century, and the elabor ate south portal, which was added in the 14th century. The ornamentation of the older parts is simple to the verge of rudeness ; and even the more elaborate later forms show no high development of workmanship. The church is 485 feet long and 114 feet wide ; the transepts, which are at the west end, are about 120 feet long (inside measure ment), and the choir is 160 feet high. The cathedral belongs to the Roman Catholic community, who possess also the church of St Martin and the Liebfrauenkirche, a handsome Gothic edifice outside the town, finished in 14G7. The principal Protestant place of worship is Trinity church, built in 1726. Second in interest to the cathedral is the church of St Paul, also in the Romanesque style, and dating from 1102-16, with a choir of the early 13th century. It is adjoined by the remains of an abbey and cloisters of various epochs. Since 1881 this church has contained an interesting museum of national antiquities. The late Romanesque St Andrew s church is also used for secular purposes. The synagogue, an unassuming build ing erected in the llth century and restored in the 13th, is now completely modernized. The Jewish community of Worms (about 1400 in number) claims to be the most ancient in Germany, and to have existed continuously since before the Christian era, though the earliest authentic mention of it occurs in 588. A curious tradition, illustrat ing the efforts of the dispersed people to conciliate their oppressors, asserts that the Jews of Worms gave their voice against the crucifixion, but that their messenger did not arrive at Jerusalem until after the event. The town-house of Worms was restored in 1884. The Bischofshof, in which the most famous diet of Worms (1521) was held, is now replaced by a handsome modern residence. The Luginsland is an old watch-tower of the 13th century. Worms also contains numerous schools and a richly endowed hospital. In the Luther-Platz rises the imposing Luther monument (unveiled in 1868), consisting of a series of twelve statues on a platform 16 feet square. In the centre the colossal statue of Luther rises, on a pedestal at the base of which are sitting figures of Peter Waldus, Wycliffe, Huss, and Savonarola, the heralds of the Reformation ; at the corners of the platform, on lower pedestals, are statues of Luther s contemporaries, Melanch- thon, Reuchlin, Philip of Hesse, and Frederick the Wise of Saxony, between which are allegorical figures of Magdeburg (mourning), Spires (protesting), and Augsburg (confessing). ! The greater part of the work, which took nine years to j execute, was designed by Rietschel, and carried out after his death in 1861 by Kietz, Dondorf, and Schelling. The trade and industry of Worms are not unimportant. The leading resource of the inhabitants is wine-growing, the most famous vintage being known as Liebfrauenmilch, grown on vineyards near the Liebfrauenkirche. Lugin- lander and Katterlocher are also well-known varieties. The manufacture of patent leather employs 3000 hands. Machinery, chicory, slates, &c., are also produced. Worms possesses a river-harbour, and carries on some trade by water. The population in 1885 was 21,903, of whom about one-third were Roman Catholic. In its prosperous days Worms is estimated to have had from 40,000 to 70,000 inhabitants.