532 NOTES ON AUSTRALIAN EARTHWORMS, 



noticed tracks, it had not dislodged any worms from the ground 

 which I saw ploughed the day after it cleared up (1). Neither do I 

 think it was entirely owing to the rain that the worms were so close 

 to the surface on this occasion, as on each of my three visits duiing 

 ploughing the result has been the same, as regards the abundauce 

 of worms and their proximity to the surface. In Europe the 

 worms are obliged in winter to burrow deep to avoid the cold, 

 but at Burrawang, though cold, from its greater elevation, com- 

 pared with Sydney, the fine sunny days which prevail during 

 frosty weather probably prevent the worms from suffering 

 discomfort from the cold. In summer time there is no ploughing 

 going on, but one can always ^obtain worms by digging in suitable 

 ground without going very deep, though probably at this season 

 the worms are not quite so close to the surface as the winter 

 ploughing shows them to be then. 



The perichaete worm, when handled, wriggles and squirms 

 in a very lively fashion ; and when placed on the ground it 

 soon burrows out of sight. Two of the other worms are 

 less lively than this one, while the big ones are remarkably 

 sluggish and passive. The day after ploughing if the birds 

 have not found them out, specimens of these three may be found 

 dead on the ploughed ground apparently without having made 

 any efforts to burrow into the ground again. On one occasion 

 having brought from the field more worms than I required I 

 put two on the ground in the garden where they were lying dead 

 next day. When the worms are held in the hand for a minute 



(1) Of very large worms, from 4 to 6 feet long, from South Africa, 

 originally described and figured by Rapp, and recently re-examined by 

 Beddard, the latter says : — "These monstrous worms appear to be fairly 

 abundant in the neighbourhood of Port Elizabeth and other parts of the 

 Cape Colony, but are only rarely seen ; they do not seem to move about at 

 night like our British worms ; only heavy and prolonged rains drive them 

 to the surface from their underground burrows ; on such occasions, as I am 

 informed by a correspondent, which only take place a few times a year, the 

 ground is covered by hundreds of these creatures slowly crawling about in 

 all directions ; as a general rule they do not return into the earth after the 

 rain has ceased, but remain above ground, and are shortly killed by the 

 sun." (Nature, Vol, XXX., p. 571. October, 1884.) 



