WHEEL-BEARERS. 257 



Ha ! now the egg-shell has burst, and the little creature 

 escapes from its prison, and quickly makes its way to the 

 mouth of the parent-tube. Now it is free, and swims 

 away rapidly, in a giddy, headlong manner. It is quite 

 unlike its mother ; for its form is trumpet-shaped, re- 

 sembling that of a Stentor with a wreath of cilia around 

 the head, interrupted at two opposite points : the central 

 portion of the head rises into a low cone. There is as 

 yet no trace of the beautiful double-petalled flower. 



It has been whirling giddily about the live-box for 

 about a quarter of an hour, but now it begins to manifest 

 tokens of weariness; or rather the time is approaching 

 for it to select a place of permanent sedentary abode. 

 Its motion is sensibly retarded : it now and then adheres 

 to the glass momentarily, by its foot, and moves forward 

 by successive jerks, not proceeding more than its own 

 length at a time ; and this apparently with effort. 

 The periods of its remaining stationary become longer, 

 so that you may suppose it finally settled twice or thrice, 

 before its wanderings are quite over, some shock or 

 alarm sending it off to a little distance again. 



At length it wanders no more; its foot holds fast to 

 the glass, and its movements are confined to whirlings 

 round and round on this as a pivot, and to sudden con- 

 tractions of length. Presently we see a very delicate 

 film surrounding the point of attachment; — the first 

 rudiment of the tube, a ring of mucus thrown off from 

 the skin, and pressed down to the foot by the contrac- 

 tions of the body. Meanwhile, the ciliary crown is 

 dividing itself into two, and now we see already the 

 essential form and appearance of the mature animal, 

 every moment developing its perfection. 



