Show S Y Where Headless Worms Are re Very a Great Delicacy Delica Si Siy y VERY year in Octo October r and November sure eD EVERY E p swarms of the called eo-called flo pal rOT r L-J L before the l suddenly appear on the day quarter of the moon along the coasts couts of the S Sow Sea islands The natives await this event tr rl keen interest since they highly esteems esteem fh the worms as a delicate tit-bit tit whether eaten ra raw cj roasted It is said too that Europeans who ban har taste for them succeeded in acquiring a fig them very palatable and appetizing M MIt I It has long been noted that these were always headless and this circumstance h bai now been explained says a v writer ter in Kosmo Stuttgart by the fact that the palolo words It is tn the really only half a a. a worm I In other rear portion of the body of an annular worm the Eunice Bridie which finds its habitat in the cr J ices of coral reefs This curious creature has It its body Dody divided into two sharply defined portions a as shown in the accompanying illustration JJ The essential part pm of the animal is the upper portion of the body consisting of thick broad bro d 1 r rl iy The Pablo Palolo Worm of the South Pacific Showing the Rear Portion That Breaks Off 1 I rings while the lower portion or tail is composed com composed com com- posed of much smaller annular segments Th This part of the body which may reach a len length h of 5 50 cm is devoted to reproductive purposes At the period of maturity this section of at tn the e worm which is filled with sexual products breakS breakS' away from the main portion of the body and rises rise 7 to the surface of the water where it swims abou abo about for a time and then gradually separates separate into iG it segments which discharge their contents into th the water thus fulfilling their function the parent animal peacefully leads its obscure existence in the rifts of the coral reef and pr proceeds pro pro- to grow mother another tail j I This is a typical example of the elf capacity so 80 often seen in the animal kingdom ale midi n shows what an important biological function this In this of coarse peculiar power may serve case the principal purpose is the extension of the tha terra tem tory tort in which the worm exists since the tha ness of the rear portion of the body enables it b float far and wide from the place of its origin j I |