f * 
l 2 Mr. Montagu's Description of Marine Animals 
pair not half so long as the other : legs fourteen ; feet of the fore- 
most six broad, serrated on the inside ; all armed with a single claw. 
Length, an inch ; breadth, not quite a quarter. Colour, pale 
yellow clouded with cinereous on the sides. 
GORDIUS MARINUS. 
Sea long worm. Borlase Cornw. p. 255. t.26.f 13. 
This extraordinary vermis, originally described by Borlase as 
inhabiting Mounts Bay in Cornwall, we do not find mentioned 
by any other author : and as this topographical writer is very 
concise with respect to its description and history, our further 
observations upon it may not be unacceptable to the Society, and 
to naturalists in general. 
This species of Gordius is not uncommon on several parts of the 
south coast of Devonshire, where it is by some of the fishermen 
known by the very applicable name given to it in the History of 
Cornwall. It is, indeed, of so prodigious a length that it is im- 
possible to fix any bounds ; some of the fishermen say thirty 
yards, — but perhaps as many feet is the utmost: those specimens 
which have come under our inspection did not appear to exceed 
twenty feet, and more commonly from eight to fourteen or fifteen. 
Its usual appearance is filiform, except towards the posterior 
extremity, where it somewhat decreases in size ; it is, however, 
like most of .the soft animals, considerably amorphous : the skin 
is perfectly smooth, and covered with a strong tenacious slime : 
the head, or anterior end, is usually more depressed, and broader 
than any other part ; but all parts are equally alterable, and in 
continual change from round to flat, rising into large swellings or 
protuberances in various parts, especially where touched : the front 
is sometimes obtusely pointed, but more commonly spread into 
small 
