THE SPRING-TRAP. 



95 



" Once safe down, the black murderer slowly contracts again 

 into a knotted heap, and lies, like a boa with a stag inside him, 

 motionless and blest." 



The accuracy as well as the pictorial effect of this description 

 cannot be surpassed. The "velvety" feel of the creature is 

 most wonderful, as it slips and slides over and among the 

 fingers, and makes the task of gathering it together appear quite 

 hopeless. 



This astonishing worm is drawn on the left hand of the 

 illustration on page 93, so as to show the way in which the 

 body is contracted or relaxed at will. On the other side of the 

 illustration is an angler, armed with all the paraphernalia of 

 his craft, and doing imperfectly that which the Nemertes does 

 with absolute perfection. 



A similar property belongs to the long, trailing tentacles of 

 the Cydippe, which is described and figured on page 16. When 

 they come in contact with suitable prey, all struggle is useless, 

 the tentacles contracting or elongating to suit the circum- 

 stances, and at last lodging the prey within the body of the 

 Cydippe. 



The Spring-trap. 



We are all familiar with the common Spring- trap, or Gin, as 

 it is sometimes called. 



It varies much in form and size, sometimes being square and 

 sometimes round ; sometimes small enough to be used as a rat- 

 trap, and sometimes large enough to catch and hold human 

 beings, in which case it was known by the name of man-trap. 

 This latter form is now as illegal as the spring-gun, and though 

 the advertisement " Man-traps and Spring-guns are set in these 

 grounds " is still to be seen, neither one nor the other can be 

 there. 



They are all constructed on the same principle, namely, a 

 couple of toothed jaws which are driven together by a spring, 

 when the spring is not controlled by a catch. They are 

 evidently borrowed from actual jaws, the same words being used 

 to signify the movable portions and notches of the trap as are 

 employed to designate the corresponding parts in the real jaw. 



In both figures of the accompanying illustration we shall 

 see how exact is the parallel. On the right hand is a 



