A Catalogue of the British Non-parasitical Worms in the Collection of the British Museum

Front Cover

From inside the book

Contents

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

Popular passages

Page 94 - In human works, though labour'd on with pain, A thousand movements scarce one purpose gain; In God's, one single can its end produce; Yet serves to second too, some other use.
Page 331 - The worm that draws a long immoderate size The trout abhors, and the rank morsel flies; And if too small, the naked fraud's in sight, And fear forbids, while hunger does invite. Those baits will best reward the fisher's pains Whose...
Page 294 - played ' with such a fishing-line as the skill of a Wilson or a Stoddart never could invent; a living line, with elasticity beyond that of the most delicate fly-rod, which follows every lunge, shortening and lengthening, slipping and twining round every piece of gravel and stem of sea-weed, with a tiring drag such as no Highland wrist or step could ever bring to bear on salmon or on trout. The victim is tired now ; and slowly...
Page 294 - In an instant a bellshaped sucker mouth has fastened to his side. In another instant, from one lip, a concave double proboscis, just like a tapir's (another instance of the repetition of forms), has clasped him like a finger; and now begins the struggle: but in vain. He is being "played...
Page 294 - Look now, as it is raised and its coils drawn out. Three feet — six — nine, at least : with a capability of seemingly endless expansion ; a slimy tape of living caoutchouc, some eighth of an inch in diameter, a dark chocolate-black, with paler longitudinal lines. Is it alive? It hangs helpless and motionless, a mere velvet string across the hand. Ask the neighbouring Annelids and the fry of the rock fishes, or put it into a vase at home, and see. It lies motionless, trailing itself among the...
Page 294 - The victim is tired now ; and slowly, and yet dexterously, his blind assailant is feeling and shifting along his side, till he reaches one end of him ; and then the black lips expand, and slowly and surely the curved finger begins packing him endforemost down into the gullet, where he sinks, inch by inch, till the swelling which marks his place is lost among the coils, and he is probably macerated to a pulp long before he has reached the opposite extremity of his cave of doom. Once safe down, the...
Page 171 - The part to which the latter was applied, almost immediately contracted in the manner that a leech contracts at the place where a little salt is applied to it, and then, the whole animal became agitated and dashed violently about the plate, frequently, at the same time, protruding and contracting its proboscis. Similar effects followed every trial I made, and it mattered not what part of the animal was touched : the smallest drop of water from the point of a probe produced the partial contraction...
Page 258 - ... perceived visibly accumulating in the bottom of the funnel. Meantime, the neck, or first segment of the body, rising unusually high above the orifice of the tube, exhibits two fleshy lobes or trowels, beating down the thin edges as they fold and clasp over the margin, like our fingers pressing a flattened cake against the palm of the hand. "During these operations, the muddy materials are seen descending between the roots of the fans towards the trowels ; while another organ...
Page 205 - ... branchial processes, are remarkable for their size and length, for they can be seen with a common magnifier fanning the water with equal and rapid beats, and driving the current along their surface. Their analogy with the cilia of Zoophytes is obvious ; but here their motion is certainly dependant on the will of the animal, for I have repeatedly seen it begin and stop, and be again renewed after an interval of repose, and again be checked in a manner that could leave no doubt but that the play...
Page 170 - I had a number of specimens lying on a plate motionless ; for, unless disturbed, they are little inclined to move. I dipped my hand in fresh water, and with a jerk, sprinkled some drops of it over the plate, and the specimens on it. In about two seconds the worms were all in violent agitation, rolling round on the longitudinal axis of their bodies, and writhing together in apparent agonies. After a few minutes the agitation ceased, and they again lay motionless. I now tried the effect of touching...

Bibliographic information