ANNELIDS. 61 



Icece, to cure, to heal) was applied by our old writers, not only 

 to the animal, but also to persons, both male and female, who 

 were skilful in the art of healing. 



Thus, in the ancient Ballad of Sir Cauline, the king calls 

 upon the princess to exercise her skill on behalf of the wounded 

 knight : 



" Come down, come down, iny daughter dcare, 



Thou art a leeche of skille; 

 Farrc lever had I lose half my 1 ancles, 

 Than this good knight sholde spille." 



The young of the leech are produced from cocoons* depo- 

 sited by the mother towards the end of summer. The winter 

 is passed by our common horse-leech (Hcemopsis sanguisuga) 

 in a state of torpidity, in the mud at the bottom of the ponds 

 or ditches where it resides. This habit gave origin, on one 

 occasion, to a somewhat singular scene, which we chanced to 

 witness. On the morning of the 27th March, 1838, a part 

 of the footway on one of the most crowded thoroughfares 

 adjoining the town of Belfast, was so covered with leeches, 

 that it was- scarcely possible to walk without trampling them 

 under foot. So great was their abundance that some of the 

 passers-by remarked, that it seemed as though a shower of 

 leeches had fallen. They extended for about 100 paces in 

 this profusion; on both sides of this space they were less 

 numerous. The phenomenon continued for the two following 

 mornings, but with diminished numbers. A slight examina- 

 tion served to explain its cause. The ditch on the side of the 

 fence which separated the footway from the adjacent fields had 

 been cleaned out the preceding day. The leeches had been 

 buried in the slime, and on this being placed on the top of the 

 fence, they had struggled out, and spread themselves over the 

 adjoining footway. 



The earth-worms represent another tribe of Annelids. In 

 them suctorial discs, such as those of the leeches, do not exist ; 

 but a mechanical contrivance of a different kind may be ob- 

 served. The rings, of which their body is composed, are no 

 longer perfectly smooth; but are furnished with minute 

 bristles, or recurved hooks. These, as the creature pushes its 

 way, catch upon the soil, and form fixed points of support, by 

 which the worm is enabled to maintain its place while drawing 



* Owen, page 145. 



