350 ON THE ORDERS 



body which in the larva state of an lulus possess a pair 

 of feet, appear to retain them without any addition ; whereas 

 the other feet, whicli are the result of a metamorphosis, are 

 disposed in two pair for every segment. The two or three 

 last segments, however, are quite destitute of any locomo- 

 tive organ ; and the male luli are said to have only one 

 pair of feet on the seventh segment. 



The cyUndrical shape, flexible texture, and numerous 

 segments of the body, with the very imperfect structure of 

 the feet of an lulus, have caused several naturalists to 

 imagine that they form the last of the chain of insects. 

 " Oh pent remarquer," says Degeer, " que les lulesfont 

 comme le dernier chabion de la chaine qui reunit la classe 

 des Insecles a celle des Vers ; car ils ont le corps tres aU 

 longe et cylindrique, ou presque de grosseur egale dans 

 toute son ttendue, et quoiqu'ils ayent un grand nombre de 

 pattes, elles sont neanmoins si courtes, que Vinsecte quand 

 il marche paroit plutot glisser trh lentement sur leplande 

 position, rampant a lafafon des vers sans pattes." 



Adopting this excellent suggestion of Degeer, we pro- 

 ceed, in the manner which I have explained in the pre- 

 ceding chapter, from the Chilognatha to the most imper- 

 fect of Annulose animals, to wit, those white-blooded 

 Vermes and Epizoaria of Lamarck which approach so 

 closely to the intestinal worms among the Acrita, that is, 

 to the opposite point of the animal kingdom. In this part 

 of the Annulose circle it is possible that the singular ani- 

 mal may be situated, for which, under the name of Tardi- 

 grade, Spallanzani and Dutrochet have had so much dif- 

 ficulty in finding a place. A figure of it is given in the 

 1 9th volume of the Annales du Museum, which, if accu- 

 rate, sufficiently proves that an animal may exist without 



