170 



GENERAL ZOOLOGY 



long. Some species are poisonous, even to man, and death 

 has been known to result from their bite. They are active 

 creatures and feed on living animals. The number of so- 

 mites varies from about nine to over two hundred. A pair 

 of legs is attached to each somite. The following lines were 



Fig. 96. Centiped (below) and milliped (above). (Reduced) 



written by Sir E. Ray Lankester, of England, after an 

 attempt to study the order in which the legs were moved : 



A centipede was happy — quite 



Until a toad in fun 



Said, ''Pray, which leg moves after which?" 



This raised her doubts to such a pitch, 



She lay exhausted in the ditch, 



Not knowing how to run. 



Millipeds. Other elongate forms called millipeds (Spirob'- 

 olus, Fig. 96) may be distinguished from the centipeds by 

 the more cylindrical body. Millipeds also possess a greater 



