WORMS. 63 



The Gephyreans are a group of marine worms, interesting to the 

 naturalist, but rather from structure than from anything in habits or 

 appearance, and so we dismiss them without further mention. 



The Annelids — ringed or jointed worms — stand highest in the ver- 

 mian series, and some of the species may detain us for a few moments. 

 The group contains the leeches, the earthworms, and an innumerable host 

 of fresh-water and marine forms, some interesting from their habits, others 

 attracting attention by their bizarre shapes, or the great beauty of the 

 colors. 



The leeches, or blood-suckers, are usually esteemed as loathsome forms, 

 from the fact that they live solely by sucking blood ; yet if one watches 

 them as they loop themselves along, or swim by the graceful undulations 

 of the body, the beautiful pattern of the colors is bound to excite admira- 

 tion. The leeches all live on blood. Some extract it from the snails or 

 fishes, while others attack other forms, even man, when the opportunity 

 offers. Blood is a necessity, and unless they have it they starve. Yet a 

 meal will last them for an incredible time, for the blood in their stomachs 

 does not decay, but retains its fluidity for months. 



Best known of all is the medicinal leech, once in high favor in the 

 clays when man was bled for every ailment. They are bred for the market 

 in enormous numbers in France, and from thence exported to all parts of 

 the world. This form is some three or four inches in length, and, like 

 most of its allies, has a sucker at either end of its body. The anterior 

 sucker surrounds the mouth, and is armed with three radiating jaws, each 

 like half of a buzz-saw. With these the leech cuts the skin of the victim, 

 and then pumps itself completely full of blood, when it loosens its hold, 

 and drops off. Leeches are ready swimmers, but they have also another 

 means of progression. They lay hold of some object with the anterior 

 sucker, and draw the body up in a loop, and then fastening themselves 

 with the hinder sucker, again extend the body to obtain a fresh foothold 

 in front. 



Others of the leeches are useful in drawing blood, but still others are 

 not adapted for surgical purposes, because they lack the jaws and cannot 

 pierce the human skin. All the leeches are not aquatic. In Ceylon occurs 

 a terrestrial species which Professor Haeckel describes as follows : — - 



" But, as the proverb says, i Man may not walk under the palms and 

 never rue it ! ' While I was wandering enchanted through the tall grass 

 by the river, under the tall crown of an oil-palm, and carefully tracing the 

 convolutions of a climbing rattan, I suddenly felt a sharp nip in my leg, 

 and on baring it discovered a few small leeches which had attached them- 

 selves firmly to the calf, and saw at the same time half a dozen more of 



