134 LUMBRICUS. 



The colour of the Cirratulus is wholly reddish, sometimes tolerably 

 vivid ; or it is brownish, and apparently variegated, from the quantity 

 of mud absorbed. 



Much of the appearance of the animals seems dependent on age, 

 size, and the place they inhabit. Their natural and favourite dwelling 

 is the mudy fissures of rocks, under tufts of marine vegetable pro- 

 ducts, considerably above low-water, or where protected by any other 

 soft covering. They are distributed very profusely throughout Scotland, 

 but I have found none among sand. While the animal lurks in retreat, 

 its cirri are spread like so many minute worms over the neighbouring 

 surface. 



A slight glutinous secretion exudes from the body. 



The Cirratulus retreats from the light. If kept in a white saucer, 

 covered with a shell or a stone, it will creep out at night ; or, by filling 

 the vessel containing it so high that the tips of the cirri cannot reach the 

 surface of the water, it will abandon its concealment, and crawl up the 

 side, thus affording a satisfactory view of its form to the observer. But 

 if forcibly removed, the whole creature contracts into a confused bunch, 

 preventing sufficient inspection of the parts. 



Though the animal is seen under considerable diversity of aspect, 

 I am unable to pronounce any of numerous specimens as belonging to 

 different species. 



After a specimen had been preserved throughout winter, a number 

 of what I conjectured to be ova, appeared in its vessel in May, and ten 

 days subsequently, many very minute vermiculi, not half a line in length. 

 Unfortunately my observations were interrupted until July, when all 

 had perished. 



Several years afterwards, three small specimens were lodged in a 

 vessel on the 21st of June. In two days I found 300 or 400 very minute 

 white opaque spherical ova on the bottom, of considerable disparity in 

 size. About 200 additional ova, of exactly the same character, appeared 

 in the watch-glass, which had been transferred, along with the specimens, 

 to a different vessel, fig. 3. There were now at least 500 ova in the 

 watch-glass. 



