

























268 A FEW SEA-WORMS. 
look at a few specimens of this much-abused race, hear the 
story of their life, their strange manner of increasing the a 
nulate census, and judge, ye sea-side loiterers of the Worms 
place in society. We are not levellers. A worms’ a wort, 
a lobsters’ a lobster, and a bees’ a bee; and they are mt 
convertible terms. The earth is made more beautiful 
bees and the myriads of insects, for without their aid, 
pollen gatherers, in fertilizing flowers and “setting” fruit, 
the world would be a poor sojourning place for that unsitis 
fied and uneasy animal who gives all other animals names. 
' What would a fish-market be without lobsters and 
there is a void which worms can only fill. 
Neptune thrive without the Nereids, the Naides, 
Amphitrites to adorn his halls, deftly sweep the floors of 
palaces, and in a thousand ways beautify and enrich 
domain by their silent, unobtrusive ministry? 
An hour's search among the tidal-pools and rocks at 
water mark, will give us ample material for a few 
discourse. We turn over a stone half-buried in the 
and in the wealth of life there sheltered, behold str 
crawling, leech-like worms, of livid flesh-color, 0r 4 
green or blood-red, and usually long and narrow, © P 
the power of indefinitely extending their bodies Lesa: 
search of food or actually taking it. There are Y. 
species of Flat-worms and Nemerteans which glide | 
over the surface. They are smooth, round or fa p 
pointed at each extremity, and it is with difficulty that 
head can be distinguished from the tail, as the mm 
minute slit on the under-side of the head, and the @ 
(almost the simplest kind of eye known) are often 
The body is not divided into joints, or rings pee 
capable of great extension. Charles Kingsley, 1 
cus, or the Wonders of the Shore,” has graphica sie 
this property in a Nemertean. 
