140 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 



Do the seaworms swim? 



Most of them do not; but some of them swim 

 freely. You may find one that not only swims, 

 but that has a distinct head also. From its mouth 

 project two little black jaws, or teeth, working 

 sidewise, by which it can seize its prey. It is 

 rather flat, and swims with a wavy motion. It 

 has no long gills, which might hinder its motion. 

 Its name is Nereis, which is not a hard word to 

 remember. 



There are very many worms in the sea. One 

 kind that you find under stones look like little 

 brown sacks. They seem very sluggish, but if 

 you put them in water, and are patient, they will 

 reward you very well. Some worms live in stony 

 tubes which they construct; when they show 

 themselves, some of them are very beautiful. You 

 can find these tubes on stones and shells, and 

 even on seaweeds. But that is enough about 

 worms for to-day. What else did you find? 



Here is a strange shell that I found growing on 

 a rock. It is white, but there are red stripes on 

 it, and it is shaped somewhat like an acorn. 



And it is called the Acorn-barnacle. When 

 barnacles are very young, they resemble little 

 shrimps, but they soon settle down on a rock, 

 build a shell, and never swim again. 



