THE TRUMPET S A BELLA. 
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small and very remarkable species. It has been appropriately 
termed the Weaver Terebella ( Terehella textrix ), from the 
curious submarine home which it makes. 
Not content with using the glutinous secretion as a means for 
binding together the muddy particles of which the tube is made, 
it spins a kind of web, bearing some resemblance to that of the 
spider, and being quite a complicated piece of work. This web 
is composed of many threads, which are very strong, but are 
also very fine, and in consequence are almost invisible when in 
the water, as their substance is quite translucent, like the 
threads of isinglass. The threads encircle the body, and as the 
web is only made in the month of May, when the eggs are 
deposited, it is in all probability employed more for the sake of 
guarding the eggs than protecting the body. 
The tube of the Weaver Terebella is very small, not sufficing 
to cover more than half the body. The worm seems to be more 
independent of its tube than is usually the case, frequently 
vacating and returning to it, and sometimes making two or three 
tubes near each other, and living in any of them which it may 
happen to prefer at the time. 
We now come to a group of tube-building annelids which 
are called Sabellse, because they live in the sand, and in most 
cases form their tubes of that material. The general appearance 
of the tube is extremely variable. In some cases it bears so 
great a resemblance to the dwelling of the serpula, that a prac- 
tised eye is needed to discover the distinction. 
One very conspicuous species is the Trumpet Sabella 
( Sabella tubular io), which is generally found attached to stones 
reous matter which is employed by the serpula, and at first the 
two tubes seem to be exactly alike. A more detailed examina- 
tion will, however, show that it is not twisted like that of the 
serpula, but is nearly straight, looking very much like the mili- 
tary trumpet, or 4 tuba/ of the ancient Romans. In some cases 
this tube attains considerable length, measuring eight or nine 
inches from tip to mouth. It is a solitary animal, and as far as 
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