MANNER OF FABRICATING ITS SHEATH. 281 



within the tube almost before its image has faded 

 from the eye. 



The head or anterior portion of the animal, which 

 may be called the plume (though truly the branchiae), 

 is disposed in two vertical fans, so arranged as to form 

 a complete funnel. In large specimens it exceeds 

 thirty lines in depth, and is decorated with the most 

 brilliant colours, brown, red, green, purple and gold, 

 exhibiting a truly gorgeous spectacle. 



Two triangular, pointed, brown and green anten- 

 nulse arise near the bottom of the funnel, and below 

 there are two external fleshy lobes or trowels, with an 

 organ like a tongue or scoop between them. 



The mode in which this lovely Annelide constructs 

 its tube is exceedingly curious. We will suppose a 

 specimen with its plume fully expanded in a jar 

 filled with its native element : in this condition, if a 

 drop of liquid mud be dropped from above into the 

 water so as to disturb its cleanliness, the animal 

 immediately begins to rouse itself, and all the thou- 

 sands of cilia that fringe its branchial plumules are 

 discovered to be in vigorous activity, collecting, by 

 their incessant action, the diffused muddy particles 

 into a loose mass, which is soon perceived visibly 

 accumulating in the bottom of the funnel. Mean- 

 time, the neck or first segment of the body, rising 

 unusually high above the orifice of the tube, exhibits 

 the two trowels, previously alluded to, beating down 

 the thin edge as they fold and clasp over the margin, 

 like our fingers pressing a flattened cake against the 

 palm of the hand. Duriug these operations, the muddy 

 materials are seen descending between the roots of the 



