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THE COMMON TAPE-WORM*. 



The bead of this animal is furnished with a mouth, 

 and with an apparatus for giving it a fixed situation. 

 The body is composed of a great number of distinct 

 pieces articulated together, each joint having an 

 organ by means of which it attaches itself to the 

 inner coat of the intestine; and as these joints are 

 sometimes exceedingly numerous, so of course will 

 be the different points of attachment. The joints 

 nearest the head are always small, and they become 

 gradually enlarged as they are farther removed from 

 it, except towards the tail, where a few of the last 

 joints become again diminished. The body is ter- 

 minated by a small semicircular joint, which has no 

 opening. 



The external parts are clothed with a fine mem- 

 brane-like cuticle, immediately under which is a thin 

 layer of fibres, lying parallel to each other, and 

 running in the direction of the length of the animal's 

 body. In this direction all its motions are perform- 

 ed ; from whence we may conclude that these fibres 

 perform the office of muscles. 



The head has a rounded opening at its extremity, 

 which is considered to be the mouth. This opening 

 is continued by a short duct into two canals, which 

 pass round every joint of the animal's body, and con- 

 vey the aliment. The head is fixed to its place by 

 means of two small tubercles, concave in the middle, 

 that seem to serve the purpose of suckers. The 



* Synonyms. Taenia solium. Linn. Tape-worm. 



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