ANNULATA, SEGMENTED WORMS 43 



off. So common was leeching in olden times that doctors were often 

 called "leeches." Although not so commonly used in medicine at the 

 present time leeches are used in some cases to remove small quantities 

 of blood from a tender or sensitive region. It is also said that leeches 

 may be used for food, but, like earthworms, they are not likely to be- 

 come popular articles of diet. The other representatives of the An- 

 nulata, though of great scientific interest and importance, have prac- 

 tically no economic importance except as scientific specimens. 



