are inane. How, indeed, express the nuances, mys- 

 terious and vague, fleeting along the length of 

 such a living moonbeam as is this, when speech is 

 silenced by the magic that lies in the mellow luster 

 of a single segment! 



Since its appearance defies description, I will 

 attend without further delay to certain other fea- 

 tures whose mention should not be omitted in even 

 the most casual reference to this remarkable worm. 

 These concern its general make-up and something 

 about its habits — some of the facts I am only 

 too well aware have often found their way into 

 the writings of others. But not too often. For it 

 would seem that, notwithstanding its wide dis- 

 tribution and common occurrence, its nature and 

 capacity remain known to exceedingly few besides 

 professed naturalists. I shall refer to them briefly. 



Aside from the biological interest attached to 

 Nereis, or the group it represents (the bristle- 

 footed, segmented worms) , because of its supposed 

 position as a connecting-link with higher animals, 

 it is intrinsically attractive by reason of its com- 

 paratively highly-organized structure. Above all 

 other worms of other groups, it ranks far. It sur- 



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