44 HIKUDO. 



When this subject was obtained on July 24, many of its young were 

 adhering to the belly. They were of a faint purple colour, and I rather 

 think that ova or capsules also were present, but I could not ascertain 

 the fact. It is always very embarrassing when animals are concealed by 

 each other. 



The first of the young quitting position was on the 5th of August, 

 when about a line in length, of a pale grey colour, with a head evidently 

 lanceolate, like the tessettata, wherein eight black eyes were distinctly ex- 

 posed, arranged in four pairs, fig. 23. This is an accurate representation 

 of the animal. 



The form of the viscera could not be precisely discovered, owing to 

 opacity of the parts. But among the same collection two small leeches 

 were found, with the same number of eyes, disposed in a similar manner. 

 In these, numerous ventral sacs, nearly pinnate, stood across, and were 

 of a very ornate form. These small animals, between two and three lines 

 long, were probably of the same species, but both so restless, that to 

 obtain drawings of them proved impracticable. Indeed, no creature can 

 equal the leech in this respect ; nor does it seem to me that the delinea- 

 tion of living specimens has been attempted at almost any time. The 

 patience and perseverence of the artists employed on those represented 

 here were admirable. 



The parent was not observed to consume any kind of food ; hence 

 it was soon reduced in size, and much weakened. A few of the young 

 continued to separate, but the presence of so many as remained, was evi- 

 dently very injurious. The animal suffered much, and its sufferings were 

 aggravated from the presence of such a multitude, entirely precluding 

 the application of the belly, and its adhesion to any substance whatever. 



All the young had forsaken the parent on the 8th of August, when 

 they proved to be no less than sixty in number. But the parent scarcely 

 survived ; and contracting to the dimension of a quarter of an inch it 

 died. 



All the young were of a flattened figure, and adhered to the side of 

 the vessel. 



