114 KAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. 



line, below the intestine. This artery gives off on 

 either side, and in each ring, a large trunk, whose 

 base expands and swells into a sac, which, by its 

 contractions, propels the blood into the branches, 

 which distribute it to all the organs. Passing over 

 numerous details, we will merely observe that our 

 Eunice possesses, independently of the great canals 

 which run from one extremity of the body to the 

 other, 550 branchiae, 600 hearts, and a similar number 

 of primary arteries and veins. 



Now we have need of great patience, as we 

 endeavour to disentangle those interlaced muscular 

 bundles which form the flesh of the rings and give 

 motion to the feet, to their two bundles of sharp and 

 cutting setae, and to the four aciculae which are as 

 conical and strong as a huntsman's spear. There 

 are no less than thirty distinct muscles in the fleshy 

 part of each ring, whilst each inter-annular par- 

 tition exhibits as many as ten. On either side, two 

 large muscles are attached to the centre of the ring, 

 and the base of the feet, which they move either 

 forward or backward. A sac, composed of about 

 ten muscular bundles, surrounds each tuft of seta?, 

 as well as the aciculae, which it serves to extrude ; 

 on either side, eight muscles serve to retract these 

 tufts, and to give motion to the different parts 

 of the foot. Thus, each ring is supplied by about 

 120 muscles ; and if we take into account those 

 of the proboscis and head, we shall find that the 

 entire animal moves by the action of more than 

 30,000 muscles.* 



* I have not yet been able to complete my observations on the 



