26 
‘Two or three of them are occasionally seen issuing from 
the same opening in the sand at a time. 
The question arose, where was the sand carried to, and 
for what purpose? It was at first suspected that these long 
prehensile filaments might convey the particles down the 
anterior groove of the test directly into the mouth, as no 
means appeared more suitable for the.conveyance of the sand 
which is found so abundantly in the stomach, the mouth 
being a calcareous aperture without movable lips or jaws. 
It was also observed that a clear open space filled with water 
is constantly maintained between the mouth and the sand to 
the extent of the long post-oral spines; hence it is impro- 
bable that the mouth itself is capable of being brought closely 
into contact with the sand; besides I failed to see any cur- 
rent going in or out the oral aperture. 
Although the parts were kept well in view and carefully 
watched, the long dorsal prehensile filaments were never seen 
to reach down the anterior groove, but numerous particles 
of sand at short intervals were observed descending, and the 
particles flowed down freely when sand was dropped over 
the hole from above. 
In order to ascertain whether the material descending 
along the anterior groove was the same as that which was 
put in from above, coal was pulverized, washed, and applied 
with the same result. 
These observations would lead to the belief that the long 
prehensile filaments convey the sandy material that they 
gather from the surface to the dorsal impressions only, and 
that it is then passed along chiefly, if not wholly, by the 
action of the narrow linear series of small spines stretching 
from the ovarian holes down the anterior groove, and is at 
last dropped on the sand below. 
The mouth is irregularly surrounded by processes which 
Forbes calls “short tentacula, with discs surrounded by 
clavate filaments.” These I have seen on several occasions 
descend and grasp the sand or other material dropped from 
the anterior groove, and conveying it into the mouth. This 
operation, however, appears to be seldom performed, and 
will only be observed by the exercise of patient attention. 
There can be little doubt that the office of these organs is 
to transmit to the mouth the food material thus brought by 
the agency of the long dorsal filaments together with the 
small spines of the anterior groove. 
Being led to inquire how the hole between the animal and 
the surface of the sand was kept open with the tide rolling 
over it, I found that it was effected by a glutinous secretion 
