W. W. Smith. — On Netv Zealand Earthworms. 163 



sisting of shingle, sand, gravel, and glacier-inud."-'= Since the 

 close of the glacier epoch in New Zealand the native worms 

 have worked unremittingly " reclaiming the wilderness." They 

 have worked vast areas or plains composed of fiuviatile de- 

 posits, as described by Haast, into fertile land on both sides 

 of the Alps. In Canterbury the land is of the finest quality, 

 while in Westland it supports magnificent forests only equalled 

 in beauty and value in a few other parts of the world. 



In addition to the aid they received in working some parts 

 of the plains by the deposits of fine silt, they would, occa- 

 sionally, be assisted in others by high winds filling the inter- 

 stices of the shingle with fine sand. The work was unmistak- 

 ably performed by the larger species of worms. They are able 

 to swallow the larger particles of sand or small stones, which 

 become gradually reduced by attrition in their gizzards and 

 intestines, while the abundance of slimy secretion with which 

 they lubricate their body externally would render the soil- 

 forming particles more cohesive. In one place near the river- 

 bed where we frequently visit to observe their habits and 

 collect cocoons the surface-soil is about Sin. in depth. Be- 

 neath the latter the subsoil is simply a conglomerate of small 

 stones and worms' castings voided in the interstices. The 

 voided earth is deposited in the tracks of the worms, and 

 varies in diameter from Jin. to ^in. It contains numerous 

 small stones, also of varying size, according to the size of the 

 worms depositing them. Their cocoons occur promiscuously 

 in the mixed shingle and castings, no attempt being made to 

 construct burrows. By the same process some of the sloping 

 shingly terraces are slowly, but gradually, covered with mould 

 by the actions of the large worms. Slowly, but gradually, 

 they have climbed the mountain-sides to considerable heights, 

 covering them with mould in their upward advance. A glacial 

 moraine is not an inviting field for the actions of worms, yet 

 in New Zealand many have been, and are now being, success- 

 fully covered with soil by the constant work of these lowly- 

 organized animals. How the mucous secretions of the large 

 worms may act chemically in reducing the coarse soil in the 

 earlier stages of formation cannot be approximately ascer- 

 tained until an analysis of each is known. 



In the introduction to Beddard's paper, from which the 

 following abstracts are taken, some interesting remarks occur 

 on the comparative structure of certain New Zealand 

 species : — 



" The species of Acanthodrilida;," he adds, "found in New 

 Zealand have been hitherto referred to three genera. Six 

 years ago I described, under the name of Neodrilits mono- 



* " Geology of Canterbury and Westland," pp. 396-398. 



