50 PLANARIA FELINA. 



of the glass ; and although he watches 

 them whole days, he will scarce be sensible 

 of their animation. The defective confi- 

 guration of the animals bears so little rela- 

 tion to those entire, as to afford strong 

 grounds for doubting their identity with 

 the species ; and, assuredly, except in the 

 general hue, in the similarity of motion, 

 and in a triangular head armed with tenta- 

 cula, scarce the faintest resemblance exists. 

 All this, however, is the consequence of an 

 important operation, by which nature is en- 

 gaged in perpetuating the race. Sponta- 

 neous division of the body has taken place ; 

 each separated portion is in its progress to 

 perfection as a complete animal, and either 

 extremity is in the course of repairing what 

 it has lost. 



The majority of the mollusca tribe, per- 

 haps the whole with which we are acquaint- 

 ed, as also the numerous vermicular race, 

 propagate only at certain seasons of the 

 year, and most commonly after the sum- 

 mer heats have declined. But the spon- 



