Sigdlwn Boa. 323 



tractile proboscis, about an inch long, cartilaginous, cylindri- 

 cal, marked with a pale line along each side, and some fine 

 transverse lines, armed near the apex with four triangular, 

 acute, horny teeth, placed round at equal distances; and 

 exterior to these there is a series of corneous serrated plates, 

 which form, in fact, a circular saw at the entrance. Palpi 

 two, setaceous, simple, half an inch long, arising above and 

 at the sides of the mouth. Head minute, concealed by the 

 rounded anterior pair of scales, without eyes, terminated in 

 front with three short setaceous two-jointed tentacula, the 

 central one larger and longer than the others. Scales over- 

 lapping, kidney-shaped, convex, roughish, cinereous ; the 

 concealed portion white, the outer and larger margin fringed 

 with very delicate hairs and some short anomalous processes: 

 there are probably not less than two hundred scales on each 

 side, and they are affixed each to a fleshy process, from the 

 outer end of which a tentacular filament is extruded, equal to 

 the feet in number, and placed exactly above them. Feet 

 extremely numerous, fleshy, cylindrical, obtuse, bifid ; the 

 upper branch terminated with a brush of long unequal hairs, 

 and the under furnished with two rows of shorter bristles. 

 Base of the foot armed with a spinous fleshy process, and 

 with a small tubercle. Between the branches of the feet 

 there are some processes like those on the edges of the 

 scales. The hairs of the upper branch are setaceous, rough- 

 ish, multiarticular^, non-retractile ; those of the under are in 

 part retractile, and have a curious claw-like joint at the end ; 

 in some short, in others long and sharply pointed. Tail ter- 

 minated with two short filaments. Ventral surface pale, 

 perlaceous, marked down the middle with a red vessel. 

 Length, when at rest, 7 in. or 8 in. ; when extended, not less 

 than 10 in. or 12 in. 



Sigalion Bba. lives under stones, at low- water mark ; and, 

 in some parts of Berwick Bay, is found abundantly. When 

 placed in a basin of sea-water, it appears sluggish ; but it 

 burrows in loose sand with much rapidity, being enabled to 

 do so by the play of its innumerable feet. I much wonder 

 what can be the use of the jointed claw-like bristles of these 

 organs : even a probable conjecture does not occur to me. 

 The worm is the Goliath of its race, and, I fear, the tyrant 

 also ; for its unprepossessing appearance seems to indicate a 

 cruelty of disposition which the dreadful structure of its 

 mouth confirms : so that I doubt not that, like the giants of 

 our early story-books, he delights in blood, and makes his 

 prey of every unwary worm that enters the same furrow, or 

 shelters under the same stone. 



Y 2 



