THE WORMS 



69 



rim with the opening in the centre. The body of the worm is dull 

 flesh coloi-ed with two rows of bristles on the sides of each segment. 

 It is not more than eight inches long and one-half an inch Avide 

 near the head, but it tapers gradually from this point, the posterior 

 end being still quite blunt. The head end is provided with three 

 pairs of blood-red, tree-like gills, and a large number of pale flesh- 

 colored tentacles which are constantly expanding and contracting, 

 and by means of which the worm captures the minute creatures 

 upon which it feeds. These tentacles are also used to gather parti- 

 cles of sand or mud with which to construct the tube. The Ijody 

 of the worm remains within the tube with the head near the open 

 end, while the tentacles spread out over the ground in all direc- 

 tions. It is aljimdant from Cape Cod to New Jersey. 



The Blood-Spot, (Polycivrus eximius, Fig. 41), is not more than 

 four inches long, and lives in our sandy 1)eaches immediately below 

 low water mark. Tlie 

 forward half of the 

 body is blood-red and 

 thick, while the hind- 

 er part is dull flesh- 

 colored ami slender. 

 Each segment of the 

 forward half of the 

 body is provided with 

 a pair of branched 

 gills, while the sur- 

 face of tlie hinder part 

 is smooth and has no 

 gills. The most 

 marked characteristic 

 of this worm, howev- 

 er, is the great cluster 

 of l)lood-red tentacles 

 surrounding the 

 mouth. These are con- 

 stantly expanding and contracting as the blood flows through them. 



The Shell Worm, (Serpula dianthus, Fig. 42 J, is common along 

 our coast. It secretes a crooked, stony, white tube upon the sur- 



ri£^. /// BLOOD -SPOT WORM. 



