Page:Sea and River-side Rambles in Victoria.djvu/61

42 hope) "the shining hour," by recounting past experiences, we turn over those stones under which it is probable what we are in search of may be lurking;—for a time we are unsuccessful, but at last our zeal meets with its reward. We find a thin flat ribbon-shaped gelatinous creature of a dirty white colour, writhing about into all manner of crevices to prevent its being detached, twisting itself into curious shapes, but always adhering so tenaciously to the rock, that it is scarcely possible to remove it without mutilation;—however, Naturalists have a certain amount of perseverance, and done will we never be, so at last when the patience of our companions is well nigh exhausted, we have a specimen fairly bottled. But what is this creature, do you ask? One glance through our pocket lens, shows us it is a Planaria— we know it at once from its Hydatid appearance. Under the higher powers of a* microscope the digestive apparatus is well worthy of examination, it will be found to be arborescent, the nutritive juices being dispersed along the sides of the animal. These creatures, though belonging to the Entozoa (internal parasites), are not parasitic, but creep about on the Confervæ and Algæ, found in situations similar to those we are now working in. The small specks on the anterior part of the body, have been said to be eyes, but Rymer Jones thinks their claim to such an appellation not only unsubstantiated, but actually "negatived by experiments," which go to prove that in the pursuit of prey, no power of detecting the proximity of their food by the exercise of sight is possessed by any of them. Be