ANNELIDANS. 345 



flower. Of this kind is the Magnificent Amplii- 

 trite, figured in the Linnean Transactions.^ It is 

 found in the rocks of various parts of the coast 

 of Jamaica. When alarmed, it retracts its ten- 

 tacles within its tube, and the tube itself into 

 the rock. How it excavates its rocky burrow 

 has not been ascertained. 



The Sabellce, which pass under various names 

 in different authors, inhabit the sandy parts of 

 the shore, and like certain case-worms form a 

 covering for their tube of selected grains of sand, 

 mixing sometimes other substances that suit 

 their purpose, which, by some secretion at their 

 disposal, they glue pretty firmly together so as 

 to form a neat case tapering towards the tail. 

 The animal buries itself and case in the sand, 

 with its head towards the surface, so, probably, 

 as to enable it to protrude and expand its 

 tentacles to collect its food when covered bv 



if 



the water. The bristles of the legs in some 

 species resemble burnished gold. 



The functions of a large proportion of the ani- 

 mals of this order seem to correspond with those of 

 the bivalve shell-fish ; they undermine the sands 

 and the rocks, bore into sponges and corallines, 

 and other submarine substances, and some pro- 

 bably, into submerged wood : like them, also, 

 they seem to feed on animalcules brought within 

 their reach by the tide. The Serpulidans, whose 



1 Tubularia magnified. Shaw. 

 VOL. i. z 5 



