Observations on the shell of the sea worm found on the coast of Sumatra, proving it to belong to a species of Teredo ; with an account of the anatomy of the Teredo Navalis

In the first part of this paper Mr. Home relates some further particulars respecting the sea worm shell from Sumatra, of which an account was, some time since, laid before this Society by Mr. Griffiths. A specimen of one of these shells, five feet long, but imperfect at both ends, was given to Mr. Home by Capt. Maxwell; and in order to remove all doubt respecting its nature, a part of it was analysed by Mr. Hatchett, who found that it was composed of carbonate of lime and an animal gelatinous substance, greater in quantity than in theChama Gigas , but less than in the common oyster. The subsequent discovery of two boring shells and two flattened opercula, sufficiently evinced that the shell here treated of belonged to the genus Teredo; and as the internal structure and economy of Teredines are very little known, our author thought that nothing would tend more to enable us to form an adequate idea respecting this new species (which he thinks may be calledTeredo gigantea ), than an accurate knowledge of the common speciesTeredo Navalis . With this view, by the assistance of Sir Joseph Banks and Mr. Whitbey, Mr. Home obtained some pieces of wood, with live Teredines in them, from Sheerness. By means of these, and of some specimens in the British and the Hunterian Museums, he has been enabled, with the assistance of Mr. Clift and Mr. Brodie, to give a very circumstantial description, accompanied by drawings, of the anatomy of theTeredo Navalis .