ISO 
THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY, 
Pike, in clear water and a gentle gale, from the middle 
of summer to the latter end of autumn, bite best about 
three in the afternoon; in the winter, during the whole 
day; and in the spring, most eagerly in the morn, and late 
at eve. — Sportsman’s Cyclopedia. 
THE LEECH, 
From its uses in medicine, is one of those insects that 
man has taken care to propagate; but, of a great variety, 
one kind only is considered as serviceable. The Horse 
Leecii, which is the largest of all, and grows to four 
inches in'length, with a glossy black surface, is of no use, 
as it will not stick to the skin; the Snail Leech is but 
an inch in length; and though it will stick, is not large 
enough to extract a sufficient quantity of blood from the 
patient; the Broad-tailed Leech, which grows to an 
inch and a half in length, with the back raised into a sort 
of a ridge, will stick but on very few occasions; it is the 
large Brown Leech with a whitish belly, that is made 
use of in medicine, and whose history best merits our 
curiosity. 
The Leech has the general figure of a worm, and is 
about as long as one’s middle finger. Its skin is com- 
posed of rings, by means of which it is possessed of its 
agility, and swims in water. It contracts itself when out 
of water, in such a manner, that, when touched, it is not 
above an inch long. It has a small head, and a black skin, 
edged with a yellow line on each side, with some yellow- 
ish spots on the back. The belly, also, which is of a red- 
dish colour, is marked with whitish yellow spots. But 
the most remarkable part of this animal is the mouth, 
which is composed of two lips, that take whatever form 
the insect finds convenient. When at rest, the opening 
is usually triangular; and within it are placed three very 
sharp teeth, capable of piercing not only the human skin, 
but also that of a horse or an ox. Still deeper in the head 
is discovered the tongue, which is composed of a strong 
fleshy substance, and which serves to assist the animal in 
sucking, when it has inflicted its triple wound; for no 
sooner is this voracious creature applied to the skin, than 
it buries its teeth therein, then closes its lips round the 
wound which it has made; and thus, in the manner of a 
cupping-glass, extracts the blood as it flows to the different 
orifices. 
In examining this animal’s form farther towards the 
tail, it is seen to have a gullet, and an intestinal canal, 
into which the blood flows in great abundance. On each 
side of this are seen running along several little bladders, 
which, when the animal is empty, seem to be filled with 
nothing but water; but when it is gorging blood, they 
seem to communicate with the intestines, and receive a 
large portion of the blood which flows into the body. If 
these bladders should be considered as so many stomachs, 
then every Leech will be found to have twenty-four. 
But what is most extraordinary of all in this animal’s for- 
mation is, that, though it takes so large a quantity of food, 
it has no anus or passage to eject it from the body when 
it has been digested. On the contrary, the blood which 
the Leech has thus sucked remains for several months 
clotted within its body, blackened a little by the change, 
but no way putrefied, and very little altered in its texture 
or consistence. In what manner it passes through the 
animal’s body, or how it contributes to its nourishment, is 
not easily accounted for. The water in which they are 
kept is very little discoloured by their continuance; they 
cannot be supposed to return the blood by the same pas- 
sage through which it was taken in; it only remains, 
therefore, that it goes off through the pores of the body, 
and that these are sufficiently large to permit its exclu- 
sion. 
But it is not in this instance alone that the Leech dif- 
fers from all other insects. It was remarked in a former 
section, that the whole insect tribe had the opening into 
their lungs placed in their sides; and that they breathed 
through those apertures as other animals through the mouth. 
A drop of oil poured on the sides of a wasp, a bee, or a 
worm, would quickly suffocate them, by stopping up the 
passages through which they breathe; but it is otherwise 
with the Leech, for this animal may be immersed in oil 
without injury; nay, it will live therein; and the only 
damage it will sustain is, that when taken out, it will be 
seen to cast a fine pellucid skin, exactly of the shape of 
the animal, after which it is as alert and vigorous as be- 
fore. It appears from this, that the Leech breathes through 
the mouth; and, in fact, it has a motion that seems to re- 
semble the act of respiration in more perfect animals; but 
concerning all this we are very much in the dark. 
This Leech is viviparous, and produces its young one 
after the other, to the number of forty or fifty at a birth. 
It is probable, that, like the snail, each insect contains the 
two sexes, and that it impregnates, and is impregnated, 
in the same manner. The young ones are chiefly found 
in the month of July, in shallow running waters, and par- 
ticularly where they are tepified by the rays of the sun. 
The large ones are chiefly sought after; and, being put 
into a glass vessel filled with water, they remain for 
months, nay, for years, without taking any other subsist- 
ence. But they never breed in this confinement; and con- 
