160 F. A. BEDWELL ON THE URTICATING THREADS OF 



as seen in Plate X., fig. 1. The thread is very richly ciliated, and 

 even when severed from the animal, still it moves — in graceful curves 

 — here and there — stealthily returning on itself, but never at rest. 

 Sometimes it makes a perfect coil like the ropes on a man-of-war's 

 deck, and quite as truly laid ; but its favourite attitude is seen in 

 fig. 2, and is that of a perfectly regular spiral ribbon. 



I had been watching its movements one evening for some consider- 

 able time in wonder at its function, and amazement at its beauty, when 

 I was enlightened in a moment as to what it was and what it could do. 

 In the small glass slide with it was a lively little annelid, making its 

 perpetual figures of S — first this way and then that. In an unlucky 

 moment it touched the coil. Now its gyrations had been lively 

 before, but the touch made them frantic — and there was cause — for 

 from out the thread there flew at the worm a blinding mass of cap- 

 sules, each with a short thread projecting from it, and the whole 

 accompanied by a sticky fluid. See fig. 3. The writhings of the 

 worm only brought it into fresh contact with the thread, and each 

 contact served only to bring out a fresh supply of capsules and fluid, 

 while some of the former stabbed the worm in the characteristic 

 manner ; and even if the worm could have escaped from its murderous 

 opponent, it would but have carried with it a viscous web of capsules 

 and slimy fluid, so fine and delicate, and yet so tenacious and com- 

 pact, that no mere exertions of the animal would probably have 

 relieved it from the terrible net. That the animal was "stung" 

 (to use the only word which will express its gestures) I have but 

 little doubt, and although the character of its movements and of its 

 very efforts to escape actually placed it at a great disadvantage in 

 this extraordinary contest, still it was not paralysed. I released it 

 from the thread, and it was none the worse, except that it was stabbed 

 here and there by capsules. 



The second encounter that I witnessed was of a still more terrible 

 nature. Close beside the coil there was a small organism, with a 

 molluscous like tail, that oozed along the glass just as a snail or 

 amoeba moves. See fig. 4. Its length was about a quarter of 

 an inch. The progress of this adventurous animal took it straight 

 over the coil, and with its soft tail it oozed transversely on to the 

 thread. It was really painful to see what followed. Not a cajDsule 

 disturbed itself, and yet the worm simply went to pieces ; it was 

 torn to fragments, entirely disintegrated, while the coil softly moved 

 onwards, disarranged in no way whatever. 



