No. 444] PALOLO WORM OF SAMOA. 



has a turbid or riled look, with floating patches of scum, th- 

 natives know that two days later the " Palolo '* will ' rise.' Thi 

 first day is called salefu. The second day is marked by th- 

 swarming ol a small annelid, headless like the " Palolo," and th 

 sexes distinguished by the same yellow and greenish tints. Thi- 

 day is called motusaga. The third is the tatelega when th 

 "Palolo" swarms and the natives come many miles to th' 

 favored places to gather it. With " Palolo " of the tatelega day 

 many of the small annelids of the motusaga occur, and a fev 



Kntomostraca and a varied- detritus of the seething life inhabitiiv 

 the reefs, including many ova of various kinds in different stage- 

 of segmentation. The salefu may be looked upon as a manites 

 tation of the awakening of the « Palolo " previous to its swarn 

 ing or marriage-swim ; an annual activity of countless number 

 of annelids resulting in a discharge into the water of the deposit 

 accumulated in the galleries and crevices of the reef-flats. Th 



