Worms 73 



sheath extending through the head and 

 body. When in action this organ is shot 

 forth, and its sucker-like tip fixes upon 

 the prey with a tenacious grip. A 

 striking example found on our shores is 

 Lineus marinus, the Boot Lace Worm or 

 Fishing Line Worm. The creature, which 

 may reach to a length of ninety feet when 

 fully extended, lives upon small fish 

 which it " plays " until exhaustion ren- 

 ders the quarry quiet enough to be 

 swallowed. When replete and resting 

 the worm is very unlike a bootlace, in 

 appearance resembling a mass of ox 

 liver. 



Allied to the worms are the Rotifers 

 or Wheeled Animalcules which, owing to 

 the incessant motion of the hairs on the 

 front of their bodies, give the appearance 

 of minute rapidly rotating wheels. Al- 

 though very unwormlike in shape it is 

 believed that they are descended from 

 ancestors resembling the larvae of true 



