318 THE AQUARIAN NATURALIST. 



second and a third are produced by a repetition of 

 this process, so that four generations may be seen 

 organically connected together, and constituting one 

 individual, which, however, soon separate from each 

 other, and thus become converted into as many distinct 

 animals. Indeed, Professor Milne-Edwards has ob- 

 served six young ones generated in succession from 

 the same posterior segment, all of which for some 

 time continued adherent to their parent. 



The British species belonging to this family of 

 Annelidans are very numerous ; some of them are 

 exceedingly minute, while others attain considerable 

 dimensions : we select from among the latter a few 

 of the most conspicuous and interesting for special 

 notice 



" . . . facies non omnibus una, 

 Nee diversa tamen ; qualem decet esset sororum." 



NEREIS FULGENS. " The Iridescent Nereis" 



The length of this elegant Nereis is about seven 

 inches, and its breadth at the head four lines. The 

 figure of the body is roundish, and it consists of above 

 a hundred segments. The part representing the head 

 is a smooth cylinder, projecting beyond the first seg- 

 ment of the body, furnished with eight antennular 

 organs, and terminated by two stout conical append- 

 ages, placed widely apart, each of which is tipped with 

 a soft spongy-looking substance. The eyes, which 

 are blue, are four in number, set in a quadrangular 

 form. The colour of the body is universally an orpi- 

 ment or orange-red, with a darker longitudinal line 



