218 HIRUDICULTURE. 



body less prolonged than that of a leech naturally large 

 and empty ; it is disposed to present itself under the 

 form of an olive ; placed in water, it is dull and sleepy - 

 like ; the velvety appearance of the skin is not the same 

 as that of a leech not gorged. When pressed between 

 the fingers, one perceives a reddish reflection, except in 

 the Turkey leech, which does not elongate under the 

 fingers, but the blood accumulates towards the tail, and 

 then is expelled, sometimes in the form of a jet. 



The Mode and the Time of Reproduction. Leeches 

 reproduce themselves by cocoons, experience shows, 

 though some philosophers maintain that the leech is 

 propagated by eggs. M. Borne, in particular, who has 

 for eight years patiently and intelligently observed 

 the phenomena of leech-life, declares that he never saw 

 a single leech produce an egg. The depositing period 

 of the leech cannot be exactly fixed. It commences 

 about the beginning of summer, and lasts a great part 

 of the autumn. 



Leeches are hermaphrodites. Each of them possesses 

 a male and a female organ, and during copulation dis- 

 charges the function both of the male and the female. 

 Copulation begins with the fine weather, and may gene- 

 rally be observed during a part of the month of May. 

 Gestation commonly lasts till July ; and the exclusion 

 occurs during August and September. The advanced 

 period of gestation is manifested by an ovoidal yellow 

 swelling in the anterior third of the body, round the 

 sexual parts. This swelling is by zoologists termed 

 the cincture (clitellwri). At the moment of accouchement 

 the cincture is very large and very pale ; its epidermis 

 is raised as if about to be detached. The creature 

 twists, opens its mouth, and appears to suffer ; speedily 

 there is a compression at each end of the cincture. 

 The leech immediately draws back the anterior part of 

 its body from the ovoid pellicule, which covers the cli- 

 tellum, as if it were getting out of a hole, and this iso- 

 lated pellicule becomes the membrane of the cocoon. 



