NEMERTES THE SEA LONG-WORM. 257 



thing new. In this, however, we were disappointed : 

 on subsequently turning over the pages of the ' Lin- 

 nean Transactions/ we found that even here we had 

 been forestalled by the Rev. Hugh Davis, and that by 

 a description of the animal so graphic and circum- 

 stantial as quite to supersede our own notes upon the 

 subject. 



I laid, says Mr. Davis, a specimen of this wonder- 

 ful creature in its own element in the largest dish 

 I have, with a design to observe its habits and man- 

 ners. It partook in some respects of the nature of 

 the leech, seeming, like it, in some degree amphibious, 

 as it frequently in part left the water, and, to the 

 length of a foot or two, extended itself along the edge 

 of the dish, and the table on which the dish was 

 placed. At other times, particularly during the day, 

 it was compactly collected together in a heap, and 

 perfectly still, unless the dish or table was touched, of 

 which it seemed very sensible. This it indicated by 

 a vibratory motion of its whole mass, and by retract- 

 ing the head and fore-part, which were generally 

 somewhat extended. In the night I always found it 

 coiled in a more lax and diffuse manner, covering 

 nearly the whole dish; but on the approach of a candle, 

 it seemed affected and inclined to contract itself, so 

 that although I could not see that it had eyes, I was 

 quite sure that it was very sensible of light. It fre- 

 quently by morning assumed somewhat of a spiral or 

 screw-like form, and on one morning in particular I 

 was highly gratified in finding it almost perfectly and 

 closely spiral from end to end. I was forcibly struck 

 with this appearance, as it seemed to suggest the 



