P. H. GOSSE, _del._ LEIGHTON, BROS.
BANDED FLAT-WORM. LONG-WORM.
]
But here is another member of the same class of strange creatures.
On turning up a large flat stone, we expose to the light of day what
might readily be mistaken for a very long thong of black leather,
or rather a narrow strip of Indian-rubber, twisted and tied together,
and coiled in all possible contortions. If you take hold of it, you
find it not so easy to secure it as you expected, for it is excessively
lubricous and soft, and withal so extensile and so tough, that you may
pull one of the coils to almost any length without lifting the rest
of the creature. However, you at last contrive to raise the slippery
subject, and commit it safe to your tank at home, in which it will
live an indefinite while; often invisible for weeks at a time, lying
concealed under some of the stones, then seen perhaps in every corner
of your aquarium at once, stretching from one stone to another, and
coiling around every groin and projection, folded back upon itself,
until in the multitude of convolutions you despair of finding head,
tail, or any end at all to the uncouth vermin. You may soon discover
the signs of its presence, however, in another way, for its voracity
is great, and it is a ferocious foe to the tube-dwelling worms; such
as the lovely _Sabellæ_ and _Serpulæ_, thrusting its serpent-like head
into their tubes, and dragging out the hapless tenant to be quickly
swallowed.