134 Marvels of Pond-Life. 



At one part it was longitudinally constricted, and 

 evidently possessed some branched and complicated 

 internal vessel. The surface was ciliated, and the neck 

 or proboscis acted as a rudder, and enabled the creature 

 to execute rapid turns. It swam up and down, and 

 round about, sometimes rotating on its axis, at others 

 keeping the same side uppermost, but did not exhibit 

 the faintest sign of intelligence in its movements, ex- 

 cept an occasional finger-like bend of the proboscis, 

 upon which the cilia seemed thicker than upon the 

 body. It was big enough to be observed as a moving 

 white speck by the naked eye, when the vessel con- 

 taining it was held to catch the light slantingly ; but a 

 power of one hundred and five was conveniently em- 

 ployed to enable its structure to be discerned. Under 

 this power, when the animal was resting or moving 

 slowly, a mouth was perceived on the left side of the 

 proboscis, which was usually, though not always, curved 

 to the right. The mouth was a round or oval orifice, 

 and when illuminated by the parabola, its lips or 

 margin looked thickened, and of a pale blue, and 

 ciliated, while the rest of the body assumed a pinkish 

 pearly tint. 



Below the mouth came a funnel-shaped tube or 

 oesophagus, having some folds or plaits on its sides, and 

 terminating in a broad digestive tube, distinct from the 

 nucleus, and ramifying like a tree. The constriction 

 before mentioned, which was always seen in certain 

 positions, although it varied very considerably in depth 

 and width, drew up the integument towards the main 

 trunk of the digestive tube, and thus the animal had a 



