Chap. III. BROUGHT UP BY WORMS. 145 



A field, which adjoins the one just de- 

 scribed, slopes in one part rather steeply 

 (viz., at from 10° to 15°) ; this part was last 

 ploughed in 1841, was then harrowed and 

 left to become pasture-land. For several 

 years it was clothed with an extremely scant 

 vegetation, and was so thickly covered with 

 small and large flints (some of them half as 

 large as a child's head) that the field was 

 always called by my sons " the stony field." 

 When they ran down the slope the stones 

 clattered together. I remember doubting 

 whether I should live to see these larger flints 

 covered with vegetable mould and turf. But 

 the smaller stones disappeared before many 

 years had elapsed, as did every one of the 

 larger ones after a time ; so that after thirty 

 years (1871) a horse could gallop over the 

 compact turf from one end of the field to the 

 other, and not strike a single stone with hit- 

 shoes. To anyone who remembered the 

 appearance of the field in 1842, the transfor- 

 mation was wonderful. This was certainly 

 the work of the worms, for though castings 

 were not frequent for several years, yet some 

 were thrown up month after month, and 



