70 HABITS OF WORMS. Chap. II 



cent, could have been drawn in more "easily 

 by the tip than by the base : and 8 per cent, 

 with about equal ease by either end. The 

 shape of a fallen leaf ought to be judged 

 of before one end has been drawn into a 

 burrow, for after this has happened, the free 

 end, whether it be the base or apex, will dry 

 more quickly than the end embedded in the 

 damp ground ; and the exposed margins of 

 the free end will consequently tend to become 

 more curled inwards than they were when 

 the leaf was first seized by the worm. My 

 son found 91 leaves which had been dragged 

 by worms into their burrows, though not to a 

 great depth ; of these 66 per cent, had been 

 drawn in by the base or foot-stalk ; and 34 

 per cent, by the tip. In this case, there- 

 fore, the worms judged w T ith a considerable 

 degree, of correctness how best to draw the 

 withered leaves of this foreign plant into their 

 burrows ; notwithstanding that they had to 

 depart from their usual habit of avoiding 

 the foot-stalk. 



On the gravel-w T alks in my garden a very 

 large number of leaves of three species of 

 Pinus (P. austriaca, nigricars and sylvestris) 



