BRANCHIAL ORGANS. 199 



of red, white, and blue material, composed respec- 

 tively of broken tile, pounded shells, and coloured 

 glass. Such a ' concourse of atoms ' was surely 

 never before combined, either ' fortuitously ' or other- 

 wise, in the construction of so common an object as 

 the tube of an Annelid. 



The branchiae of the above mentioned specimen 

 presented a most exquisite appearance, resembling 

 the perfect skeleton of a leaf, supposing that to be 

 dyed a brilliant crimson colour, and made to exhibit 

 incessant life-like motion even in its most delicate 

 and minute ramifications* 



