Short Communications. 569 



and renew them after every reflux of every tide. They live 

 in the hole with the head downwards, and ascend and descend 

 with amazing rapidity. The worm " bores its way through 

 the sand by means of the peculiar construction of the rings of 

 its head, which, when elongated, has the shape of a regular 

 cone. As each ring is so much smaller than the one behind 

 it as to admit of being received within it, the whole head, when 

 completely retracted, presents a flat surface. When this disk 

 is applied to the sand, the animal, by gradually projecting the 

 cone, and successively dilating the rings of which it is com- 

 posed, opens for itself a passage through the sand, and then 

 secures the sides of the passage from falling in by applying to 

 them a glutinous cement, which exudes from its skin, and 

 which unites the particles of sand into a kind of wall, or coat- 

 ing. This covering does not adhere to the body, but forms 

 a detached coherent tube, within which the animal moves with 

 perfect freedom, and which it leaves behind it as it progres- 

 sively advances ; so that the passage is kept pervious through- 

 out its whole length by means of this lining, which may be 

 compared to the brickwork of the shaft of a mine or tun- 

 nel." [Osier, quoted in Roget's Bridgewater Treatise, i. 278.) 



The intestine of the lug-worm is always full of sand, from 

 which it doubtless extracts the intermixed nutritive matter; 

 and the colour of the body appears to depend on the nature 

 of the ground the worm burrows in, and on which it feeds, 

 being yellowish brown when in pure sand, and very dark, 

 or even coal-black, when the soil is miry and equally dark- 

 coloured. In Berwick Bay, specimens of both species, of 

 all shades, occur. Vast numbers are daily dug up on all parts 

 of the coast by the fishermen, who esteem them one of their 

 best baits. They discharge, on handling, a liquor that imparts 

 a yellow stain to the fingers, which it is difficult to remove. 



Berwick upon Tweed, June 1. 1835. 



Art. VIII. Short Communications, 



[A Superstition which is extant in Switzerland, similar to 

 that of the Bupture-Ash in Britain]. — Tire rupture-ash having 



of spirits, for which it was necessary for him to find some interminable em- 

 ployment." {Minstrelsy of the Scot. Border > iii. 2o3.) 



" They sifted the sand from the nine-stane burn, 

 And shaped the ropes so curiouslie ; 

 But the ropes would neither twist nor twine, 



For Thomas true and his gramarye." (Ibid. p. 266.) 



