Plate 56 
VERMES. ANNELIDA. 
The Worms, Vermes, include a very large number and variety of forms, at the head 
of which we must place the Annelida, whose name is derived from the latin word, Annulus, 
a ring, because the animals arranged under this division always have their bodies formed 
of an indefinite number of rings, as in the earthworm. Their skin is soft and pliable, and 
their bodies, having no bony skeleton are soft and mostly cylindrical in shape. The Anne- 
hda are for the most part oviparous, but the leeches and earthworms deposit a sort of 
capsule or cocoon, containing many embryo young. Somespecies live in fresh and others 
in salt water, while others again are amphibious. Some perforate holes in stones, others 
construct calcareous cases around themselves, generally of sand. Some are sedentary, 
other locomotive, and these latter are frequently very nimble. 
The Annelida are subdivided into animals with bristles and those with a naked 
skin. The former genus, or Chetopoda, is distinguished by the presence of one or more 
bristles, generally at each ring, the form and disposition of which vary exceedingly, these 
bristles serving as an aid to locomotion. Most of the varieties are marine animals, of a 
predatory nature and sometimes of considerable size. They are furnished with a variety 
of cirri, and have eyes and sharp, hooked jaws, and often glitter with metallic hues. 
1. The Euphrosyne Foliosa is a sort of marine caterpillar with a hairy body, the hairs 
being barbed at the end and glittering with the most beautiful metallic colors. 
2. The Nereis Nuntia is a genus found in the Red Sea. It is very predatory, and 
has its turned-up proboscis armed with a pair of nippers, in addition to the cirri, or feelers. 
3. The Cirrhatulus Lamarckii is a very beautiful species found in the Atlantic, its 
body bearing a number of very long, red cirri, which are continually in motion. 
The Sand-worm, Arenicola Piscatorum, is found in large numbers on the sand 
coasts of Western Europe, and is a very favorite bait for fishing. It varies very fae 
in color, and sometimes attains the length of 9 inches. Thirteen of the central rings of 
its body are decorated with bunches of beautiful red bristles. 
5. The Terebella Conchilega constructs a case for itself out of fragments of mussels, 
which it keeps continually moving in serpentine undulations, and from which it projects 
its head which bears a number of antenne. It is found on the coasts of the Atlantic and 
the Mediterranean. 
6. The Serpula Contortuplicata is very common in the North Sea. It gives off a 
certain secretion which becomes solidified, and forms a calcareous tube within which the 
animal takes up its abode, seldom protruding more than its head, which is adorned with 
a number of delicate, feathery cirri, beautifully colored, and which are kept constantly in 
motion. 
7. The Sabella Protula is found off the coast of Nice, and constructs a flexible tube 
for its habitation. 
8. The Syllis Maculosa is indigenous to the same waters, and bears two long bristles 
at each of the numerous segments of its body. 
9. The Earth-worm, Lumbricus Vulgaris, is furnished with a number of very short 
hooked bristles. Its favorite habitat is in rich mould, especially such as contains any decay- 
ing animal or vegetable matter, on which it battens. Although blind, the worm is very 
sensitive to the light, and is therefore rarely seen above ground in the daytime. 
10. The Leech, Hirudo Medicinalis, represents the second division of the Annelida, 
its body being quite destitute of bristles or other appendages. Its triangular mouth is 
armed with jaws, containing some 60 or 70 fine eet which act like a saw, and thus 
produce a peculiar triangular wound. The stomach consists of 11 sacs, all of which can 
be filled with blood, and when the creature has thus gorged itself, its body increases to- 
3 or 4 times its normal size. The leech feeds on blood alone, by preference on that of the 
vertebrata. It can however go without food for a great length of time, and only attacks 
living animals. — 
ll. The Priapulus Caudatus is a peculiar species, belonging to the genus of the 
Gephyrea. The annulated body terminates in a bushy caudal appendage, its anterior part 
consisting of a retractile trunk, armed with sharp spines. It is found in the Northern 
Seas, especially on the coasts of Greenland, Iceland and Norway, and lives on vegetable sub- 
stances. 
12. The Sipunculus Edulis is found on the coast of Java and is used as an article 
of food by the natives. It has an annulated body and a retractile trunk. 
