482 RECENT BRACHIOPODA chap. 



body to two-thirds of this length. The larvae are of a pinkish 

 red colour, with eye-spots of ruby red. Their colour renders 

 them difficult to discern when they are swimming over the red 

 coralline rocks upon which they frequently settle. After swim- 

 ming about for a few hours the larva fixes itself finally, 

 apparently adhering by some secretion produced by the stalk 

 segment. The folds of the second or body segment then turn 

 forward over the head, and now form the ventral and dorsal 

 mantle folds ; these at once begin to secrete the shell on their 



i^^ ^^^ 4)!^^ -^^ ^ii^ 



Fig. 320. — Stages in the development of the larva of Terebratulina septentrionalis, i 

 (After Morse.) The youngest larva has two segments, a third then appears, the 

 larva then fixes itself, and the second segment folds over the first and develops 

 bristles round its edge. 



outer surfaces. The head with its eye-spots must be to some 

 extent absorbed, but what goes on within the mantle is not 

 accurately known. The setae drop off and the tentacular arms 

 begin to appear as a thickening on the dorsal lobe of the mantle. 

 They are at first circular in outline. The various changes which 

 the larva passes through are well illustrated by Morse for Tere- 

 bratulina, which spawns at Eastport, Me., from April till August. 

 The different stages are represented in outline in Fig. 320, taken 

 from his paper. 



Habits 



There is little to be said about the habits and natural history 

 of the Brachiopoda. When once the larva has settled down, the 

 animal never moves from the spot selected ; occasionally it may 

 rotate slightly from side to side on its stalk, and from time to 

 time it opens its shell. As so frequently is the case with sessile 

 animals, the sense organs are reduced to a minimum, the eyes 

 of the larva disappear, and the only communication which the 



