LEECHES. 





In the leech, which is the type of the first and lower 

 order, the body is somewhat flattened and divided into 

 numerous Bhort, indistinctly marked segments, not bear- 

 ing any bristles or appendages. The head is small, with no 

 appendages, bearing five pairs of simple eyes, while < 

 end of the body terminates in a sucker. The mouth is 

 armed internally with three teeth arranged in a triradial 

 man ner I Fig 65, ('). SO that the wound made in the flesh of 



persons to whom iheleech isappli<d consists of three short, 

 deep gashes radiating from a common centre. Our com- 

 mon pond leech [Macrobdella decora, Tigs. 64, 65) is of a 



Fig. 63. — Oomimiii fish -leech, a, 

 aatural size: /■, head h ith i«>> 

 ej es; c, teeth. I Ussier, <l<'l. 



Fig. 64.- Young Mat robdel 

 cora. Bodj unnaturally llat 

 tened, i . issler, del. 



rich deep olive color above, and orange red on the under 

 sid . Ii is four inches in length. Another common \ 

 leech is Nephelis, of which we bave several .-pec 



The eggs of leeches are laid in sacs, or, as in Clepi 

 (Pig. <-'' : >). the ti>h-lecch. arc covered with a transparent 

 tin!'! substance, \\ bich harden- and envelops the eggs. The 

 Clepsine remains over the eggs to protect them until they 

 hatch; and the yo^ng fix themselves to the under side of 

 the parent, and are thus home about until they arc fully 

 developed and able to provide for themselvi 



