THE TRUMPET SABELLA, 241 



small and very remarkable species. It has been appropriately 

 termed the Weaver Terebella (Terebeiia textrix\ from the 

 curious submarine home which it makes. 



Not content with using the glutinous secretion as a means for 

 binding together the muddy particles of which the tube is made, 

 it spins a kind of web, bearing some resemblance to that of the 

 spider, and being quite a complicated piece of work. This web 

 is composed of many threads, which are very strong, but are 

 also very fine, and in consequence are almost invisible when in 

 the water, as their substance is quite translucent, like the 

 threads of isinglass. The threads encircle the body, and as the 

 web is only made in the month of May, when the eggs are 

 deposited, it is in all probability employed more for the sake of 

 guarding the eggs than protecting the body. 



The tube of the Weaver Terebella is very small, not sufficing 

 to cover more than half the body. The worm seems to be more 

 independent of its tube than is usually the case, frequently 

 vacating and returning to it, and sometimes making two or three 

 tubes near each other, and living in any of them which it may 

 happen to prefer at the time. 



We now come to a group of tube-building annelids which 

 are called Sabellog, because they live in the sand, and in most 

 cases form their tubes of that material. The general appearance 

 of the tube is extremely variable. In some cases it bears so 

 great a resemblance to the dwelling of the serpula, that a prac- 

 tised eye is needed to discover the distinction. 



One very conspicuous species is the Trumpet Sabella 

 {Sabeila tubularia)^ which is generally found attached to stones 

 or shells. The material of which it is made, is that hard, calca- 

 reous matter which is employed by the serpula, and at first the 

 two tubes seem to be exactly alike. A more detailed examina- 

 tion will, however, show that it is not twisted like that of the 

 serpula, but is nearly straight, looking very much Hke the mili- 

 tary trumpet, or ' tuba/ of the ancient Romans. In some cases 

 this tube attains considerable length, measuring eight or nine 

 inches from tip to mouth. It is a solitary animal, and as far as 



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