ROTATO1UA. 141 



struction as the tube of a telescope. It is very 

 interesting to watch this exquisite mechanism, 

 and to observe how wonderfully all the parts are 

 adapted to each other. The Actinurus Neptunius 

 shows this formation in the greatest perfection. 

 Other genera have a disc at the extremity, like 

 the leech, by which they hold very tightly ; and 

 many have one or more toe-like divisions. 



The Rotatoria are reproduced by eggs, either 

 hatched within the parent body before exclusion, 

 or fixed to weeds and other objects floating in 

 the water. Some few genera attach the eggs to 

 their bodies, and carry them about for some time, 

 appearing not to be in the least inconvenienced. 

 The number of eyes varies in the different genera : 

 they are generally red. As the Rotatoria are 



