398 Mr. Briglitwell on FiUirice and Lisccls. 



whole of their viscera and ultimately destroying their victim. The abdo- 

 men of the beetles thus infested often presents so swollen an appearance, 

 that a diligent observer may readily recoguize them. Two, or even 

 three of these worms, from one to three inches long each, are occasion- 

 ally found in the body of one insect, and when developed, it appears 

 almost impossible that they could be coiled in so small a space as that 

 from which they have emerged. 



I have kept many of the worms taken from the Carabidcs in water, 

 but they have uniformly died after some weeks, having during that 

 time maintained a constant vibratory motion. After a tempestuous tor- 

 rent of rain, which fell on a hot day in the latter end of July, my children 

 brought me two of these worms, found in my garden upon the dripping 

 leaves of an Arbutus tree. One of them was about two, the other about 

 three inches long. They were both in a very vigorous state, and I im- 

 mediately placed them upon some wet earth, in a garden-pot, with a 

 glass over them and proceeded to search for a specimen of the Molops 

 madidus that I might introduce it to the Gordii and see what would fol- 

 low. Having speedily found one of these insects I put it under the 

 glass, and in less than five minutes the beetle attacked one of the worms, 

 cut it in pieces with its jaws, and very quickly devoured it, pushing with 

 its palpi the wriggling pieces of worm into its mouth. The Molops 

 entirely devoured both the worms in about ten minutes. I kept this 

 Molops, feeding it with flies and other insects for some days, when it 

 died. On dissecting it I could not discover any traces of the worms it 

 had devoured. 



About the same time another worm of this kind was found, after a 

 heavy rain, in the garden of a friend, which was presented to me. This 

 worm is of an amber colour and transparent, and when examined under 

 the microscope its annulose structure is very distinct, the whole body 

 being transversely striated. The intestinal canal appears filled with little 

 well defined globular bodies of a dark colour, presenting the appearance 

 of ova. This v/orm tapers towards the head, which is slightly tinged 

 with a crimson hue; the orifice of the mouth can under a lens be dis- 

 tinctly perceived. The ova (if such they are) commence where the 

 tapering off to the mouth ceases, and are continued to the anus, which 



