Chapter VI Worms 



UNDER the title of Vermes, zoologists 

 have gathered together a heterogeneous 

 collection of animals, popularly known 

 as Worms. The great majority are 

 aquatic, and some directly affect man 

 in a variety of ways. Many impress 

 themselves upon us as dreaded parasites ; 

 quite a number form the staple diet of 

 edible fishes, whilst one species at least 

 is a popular human food in the Far East. 

 Of the Annelids or Ringed worms many 

 are abundant in home waters. Most 

 forms have a long cylindrical body made 

 up of a series of rings, and a head with a 

 comparatively well-developed brain, eyes, 

 feelers, and a retractile proboscis. Each 

 segment is provided with a pair of two- 



lobed feet, furnished with bristles and 

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