140 PLANARIA EDINENSIS. 



the slightest motion or alarm ; and with me 

 it remained completely buried from Octo- 

 ber until the subsequent February or 

 March. Planariae are totally defenceless ; 

 their progression is ill adapted for withdraw- 

 ing them from sudden danger ; their bodies 

 yield even under gentle pressure ; their 

 senses are not eminently acute, nor is their 

 instinct active ; thus they seem incapable 

 of resisting an enemy. We are wont to 

 assume, that nature has formed no animal 

 without providing it with the means of pro- 

 tection ; but it cannot be denied, that al- 

 though many are endowed with fleetness 

 on the earth, or flight in the air, and that 

 some are possessed of tusks, or horns, or a 

 deadly sting, greater solicitude appears tes- 

 tified for conservation of the species, than 

 for the security of individuals. The pla- 

 naria Edinensis may find shelter from its 

 enemies in mud, or its sustenance may be 

 derived from what is usually precipitated 

 along with it. - 



