71 



lozenge, and is considerably large in proportion 

 to the size of the animal : and though it is of 

 a soft substance, it is not to be wondered at, that 

 in so long a time it is able, by constant work, 

 to burrow into hard stones. The manner of 

 their performing this may be seen by taking one of 

 them out of the stone, and placing it upon some 

 soft clay ; for they will immediately get to work, 

 in bending and extending that part allotted to 

 dig for them, and in a few hours they will bury 

 themselves in the mud, in as large a hole as they 

 had taken many years to make in the stone. 

 They find little resistance in so soft a substance ; 

 and the necessity of their hiding themselves, 

 evidently makes them hasten their work* The 

 animal is lodged in the lower half of the hole in 

 the stone, and the upper half is filled up by a 

 pipe of a fleshy substance, and conical figure, 

 truncated at the end. This they usually extend 

 to the orifice of the hole, and place on a level 

 with the surface of the stone ; but they seldom 

 extend it any farther than this. The pipe, 

 though it appears single, is in reality composed 

 of two pipes, or at least it is composed of two 

 parts, separated by a membrane. The use of 

 this pipe, or proboscis, is the same with that of 



