232 A CLIMBING TEEEBELLA. 



species, like orange-coloured animated threads, may- 

 be seen twining in all directions over the exposed 

 soil. If you carefully look at the larger end of the 

 tube, you will observe that it is irregularly fringed 

 with threads of exactly the same texture as the tube 

 itself; they are in fact minute tubes of the same 

 shelly mosaic, though no thicker than stout sewing 

 cotton, and most admirably constructed to sheath the 

 tentacles as they project from the main tube, and 

 expand on every side. 



But it was not as a builder that I was going to in- 

 troduce to you my little Terehella, which the candle 

 revealed in the vase of sea-weeds, when I examined 

 them the evening after their arrival. It was a little 

 creature, not quite an inch long in the body, and 

 with tentacles expanding about as much. Whether, 

 finding itself in new quarters, it had left its dwelling 

 to explore the neighbourhood, I know not, — possibly 

 by careful search I might have found the emptied tube 

 among the bases of the tufted weeds, or adhering 

 to some of the pieces of stone on which they were 

 growing; — but the naked worm was deliberately 

 mounting the smooth side of the tall glass vessel. 

 The body hung down, and the tentacles, some fifty or 

 sixty in number, were spread out on each side and 

 above, on the surface of the glass, adhering to it 

 evidently, and alternately elongated and contracted, 

 with an impatient writhing, twisting action, the result 

 of which was to crawl, not very slowly either, up the 

 glass. 



After a time, I went into the room again, and found 

 the Terehella in another situation, and performing a 



