JOUENAL 



OF THE 



EOYAL MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY. 



JUNE, 1916. 



TRANSACTIONS OF THE SOCIETY. 



IX. — A case of Apparent Intelligence exhibited hy a Marine 

 Tiibe-hiilding Worm, Terebella conchilega. 



By Arnold T. Watson, r.L.S. 



(Read May 17, 1916.) 

 Figs. 11, 12. 



The building habits of this worm were described by me many years 

 ago in the Journal of this Society.* 



The incident to which this Note relates occurred some time 

 later, and as it may be of value, bearing upon the question of the 

 existence or otherwise of " purposive intelligence " in the lower 

 animals, I now place it on record. 



Whilst watching, one evenmg, through the Microscope, a small 

 specimen carrying on its building operations, I noticed that, with 

 the combined effort of several tentacles, the worm was lifting to the 

 rim of its tube a bit of gravel too large to enter the opening, and I 

 remarked to a friend present in my room on the folly of the 

 operation, for it seemed to me the stone was too large to be used 

 for food, and that when placed on the edge of the tube it must 

 necessarily fall off, as the cement supplied by the animal's lips 

 would be too weak to hold it in position. I was wrong ! The worm 

 was quite equal to the occasion ! The stone in due time reached 

 the edge of the tube, held by several tentacles ; the worm then 

 emerged to receive it, and with its lips grasped as much of the 

 stone as they would cover, and then rested it upon the edge of the 



* See this Journal, 1890, p. 685. 

 June :21st, 1916 T 



