APPENDIX. 329 



that their genus may be divided into many species." — Swamnierdafn, 

 Book of Nature, i. p. 27. 



" Among all the eggs of insects, of which I have various species 

 in my collection, I know none worthy of greater attention than those 

 of Earthworms ; for these insects have a red blood in their vessels, 

 which, whilst the worm still lies in its egg, may be observed to move, 

 and is wonderfully carried about in the heart itself. This is the 

 reason why I take the present occasion to mention this singular phe- 

 nomenon. Though the egg of the Earthworm is not larger than that 

 of the Rhinoceros-Beetle, yet the former creeps out of it in form of 

 a serpent, and is many times as long as it appeared in the egg. 

 I saw two species of these eggs, of different sizes, and of an oblong- 

 roundish figure, uniting on each side in a prominent point ; and 

 therefore one would be inclined to say that their microcosm or little 

 world had two poles, and that one may hope to discover a great 

 many wonders therein. They are of a pale yellow colour, and have 

 a tinge of green. In the spring these eggs are found dispersed here 

 and there in the earth. In order to batch them properly, I put 

 them into a dish, and covered them with white paper, which I always 

 kept wet. If any person does this carefully in his chamber every 

 day, he may very easily discover these wonders." — Ibid. p. 133. 



Lumbricus minor (page 59). 



In colour and shape this resembles a small dew-worm, but the 

 posterior portion is only slightly compressed, often almost cylindrical, 

 and it is not dilated near the end, nor is the anal segment deeper 

 coloured. The head is a small obtusely rounded lobule overlooking 

 the mouth, which has thick lips ; and there are no furrows or im- 

 pressed lines on the dorsum of the following ring. Clitellus with 

 seven rings, each marked by its pores ; and there is another or, as it 

 were, a half-ring without a pore : but generally the rings in the cli- 

 tellus are so coalesced or fused together that there is no perceptible 

 line to mark the place of union, and the number is entirely conjec- 

 tural. The generative pore is on the fifteenth ring. The setse offer 

 no peculiarity. 



This species does not exceed 2 or 3 inches. The rings are not 

 iridescent generally, but in some individuals I have seen the blue 

 changeable lights appear, always however faint when compared 

 with the dew-worm. It is an active wriggling species, and is con- 

 sidered a good bait for the trout, whence I have called it the 

 Trout-worm. It may be found in gardens with its congener, but it 

 prefers the moist gravelly ground at the sides of burns and rivers, 

 where it is found under stones in profusion. My finest specimens 

 have been got from the masses of confervee, &c. which grow on the 

 front of rocks over which water trickles. It is also often found in 

 rotten wood, and at the roots of decayed vegetables ; and it loves to 

 lurk within the sheaths of the leaves of celery, lettuce, and leeks. 



Body greenish, cylindrical or tapered towards the tail ; the seg- 

 ments simple ; clitellus about the middle of the body, of seven to 



