138 Transactions. — Zoology. 



enormous mass of shingle and sand which underlies the moidd 

 would, after their deposition, on account of their great power 

 of absorbiug moisture, naturally retard the action of worms 

 for many ages. I have no doubt that worms, or their seed 

 capsules, were transported across the plains by floods in the 

 great rivers, and some probably lodged in the fine silt or sand 

 often deposited on the edges of the streams, leaving them to 

 effect a footing at many places. Some of the best land in the 

 Colony is found on parts of the Plains. The plantations and 

 fences now planted will in a few years serve to break the wind 

 in the more exposed parts affected by the dry north-west gales, 

 and naturally assist the actions of earth-worms. It is well 

 known that some of the heaviest yields of grain are grown in 

 New Zealand, and no one who has examined a heavy crop 

 of wheat growing in this country could fail to observe the 

 astonishing height and thickness of the stalks. This applies to 

 land broken up and in crop for the first time. Mr. Darwiu has 

 said that archaeologists in England "ought to be grateful" to 

 earth-worms for the preservation of many antiquities of the 

 Roman period. In New Zealand, naturalists are indebted to 

 them for the preservation of many valuable bones of the moa 

 and other eKtiuct birds, and for ethnological relics, buried 

 beneath their castings. 



Although earth-worms are " lowly organized" forms of life, 

 any time given to observing their habits is well spent, and only 

 by patient observation can their fertilizing actions on the land 

 be realized. 



Note. — Since the foregoing was written, the great drought 

 of the past season has broken up, aud been succeeded by the 

 greatest rainfall recorded in New Zealand in a short space of 

 time, and destructive floods, equalled only by those in the 

 memorable year 18G8. To show, however, the disastrous 

 effects of droughts on earth-worms, when followed by heavy 

 rains and floods, I will add a few facts which will tend to 

 strengthen my theory of accounting for the death of large num- 

 bers of worms. From the 10th to the 24th of July, rain fell 

 sufficient to moisten the land to the depth of 2 inches, but 

 no worms were observed moving on the surface during this 

 time. At Christchurch, heavy rains fell almost continuously 

 from July 28th to August 11th, and the Canterbury Times of 

 August 13th had the following note on worms : — 



"An extraordinary number of worms were observed on 

 August 9th, in tlie side-channels in Gloucester Street. The 

 little creatures, who had evidently been washed out of the earth 

 at various points, Betmcd to have called meetings of the home- 

 less poor at variouB points along the road. JuBt below the 



