76 



LEECHES. 



occurred in the mountain lakes ; and a small 

 Pisidium (P. australe) in fountains near the sea- 

 coast. We did not see any traces of species of 

 Unio or Anodon, nor could we hear of any, 

 though several of the lakes of the upland are just 

 such localities as usually contain them elsewhere. 



In the fountains on the yailahs where we found 

 the little Paludina, a Planaria abounds, identical 

 with our common British Planaria fusca ; and in 

 the marshes and lakes, such as Caralitis, the 

 medicinal leech is plentiful. It is equally abun- 

 dant in the marshes of the low country. In 

 those near Xanthus the leeches are gathered all 

 the year round ; but in the highlands only in 

 summer. To collect them, people go into the 

 water, wading about with their legs and thighs 

 bare, so that the leeches may stick to their skin. 

 They then scrape them off, and put them into a 

 bag. The leech-merchants carry them away in 

 linen bags, which they soak in every stream or 

 pool they come to. Each carries many of these 

 bags suspended in a basket, and kept apart by 

 twigs. Every day such of the leeches as may 

 have died are separated from the living and 

 thrown away. Smyrna is their usual destination, 

 whence they are forwarded to the ports of France 



