WOEMS. 209 



languid, moves about with a degree of activity ' ' in 

 proportion to the violence of the storm to come/' 

 and endeavours to escape by climbing up the sides 

 of the glass jar in which it is confined. It is 

 asserted that in this respect the leech is a dangerous 

 rival to the little green frog, which is sold for a 

 similar purpose on the Continent. A few of these 

 frogs are placed at the bottom of a large glass vase 

 containing moss, and half filled with water ; a small 

 wooden ladder reposes on the moss, and reaches to 

 the top of the vase. When the weather is going 

 to be calm, the frogs mount the ladder, and come 

 and croak at the surface of the water ; but when it 

 is going to be stormy, they descend to the bottom, 

 and bury themselves in the moss. But, for my 

 own part, I do not place much reliance upon the 

 indications of such-like barometers, and would 

 advise my readers to adhere to that invented by 

 Torricelli. 



Since the aquarium has become a drawing-room 

 ornament, or a living cabinet of natural history to 

 the lovers of science, many species of worms, 

 hitherto disregarded by the public at 'large, are 

 fetching somewhat large sums in the market. 

 Such, for instance, are certain Serpula, the beautiful 

 organisms belonging to the genera Sabella, Tere- 

 'bella, Spio, Sabularia, etc., of which some of the 



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