Occasional Notes. 141 



inextricable manner. The creature which is about a 

 foot or more in length, and about a line in diameter, 

 presents a striking likeness to a piece of brown leather 

 shoe-string. It tapers off gradually towards one end 

 where the mouth is situated, furnished Avith a minute 

 fringe ; but the hinder extremity is blunt, and there is no 

 opening for an anus. It appears to be composed solely 

 of an outer firm cuticular layer which is faintly trans- 

 versely striped, and of a softer central substance, in 

 which no details of stru6lure have been made out. At 

 intervals it will be observed to very slowly wave the 

 anterior part, twisting and twining about the coils or 

 knots of its body ; and when disturbed, it will often perform 

 these movements in a comparatively vigorous manner. 



The creature is generally looked upon as some curious 

 kind of snake, and it was once brought to me by an 

 ignorant man as being identical with the species of asp 

 that was the cause of CLEOPATRA'S death. It is almost 

 needless to say that the worm is perfe6lly harmless. Its 

 allies are parasitic in various forms of insedls, such as 

 dragon-flies, grasshoppers, bees and butterflies. These 

 forms, however, are of very small size, and are commonly 

 known as hair-worms, being but pigmies when compared 

 with this giant. 



Any notes as to the wider occurrence of this form, or 

 as to its habits and the details of its life history, will be 

 gladly received from those who may have opportunities of 

 observing them. 



Leaf-iuingcd Locust. — Of all the many varied and 

 really wonderful contrivances to be met with in Nature 

 tending towards the prote6lion of various harmless 



