WHEEL-BEARERS. 257 



Ha ! now the egg-shell has burst, and the little creature 

 escapes from its prison, and quickly makes its way to the 

 mouth of the parent-tube. Now it is free, and swims 

 away rapidly, in a giddy, headlong manner. It is quite 

 unlike its mother ; for its form is trumpet-shaped, re- 

 sembling that of a Stentor with a wreath of cilia around 

 the head, interrupted at two opposite points: the central 

 portion of the head rises into a low cone. There is as yet 

 no trace of the beautiful double-petalled flower. 



It has been whirling giddily about the live-box for about 

 a quarter of an hour, but now it begins to manifest tokens 

 of weariness ; or rather the time is approaching for it to 

 select a place of permanent sedentary abode. Its motion 

 is sensibly retarded ; it now and then adheres to the glass 

 momentarily, by its foot, and moves forward by successive 

 jerks, not proceeding more than its own length at a time, 

 and this apparently with effort. The periods of its re- 

 maining stationary become longer, so that you may sup- 

 pose it finally settled twice or thrice, before its wanderings 

 are quite over, some shock or alarm sending it off to a 

 little distance again. 



At length it wanders no more ; its foot holds fast to the 

 glass, and its movements are confined to whirlings round 

 and round on this as a pivot, and to sudden contractions 

 of length. Presently we see a very delicate film surround- 

 ing the point of attachment ; the first rudiment of the 

 tube, a ring of mucus thrown off from the skin, and 

 pressed down to the foot by the contractions of the body. 

 Meanwhile, the ciliary crown is dividing itself into two, 

 and now we see already the essential form and appearance 

 of the mature animal, every moment developing its per- 

 fection. 



