382 OBSERVATIONS 



there is no frost ; they travel about in rainy nights, 

 as appears from their sinuous tracks on the soft 

 muddy soil, perhaps in search of food. 



When earth-worms lie out a-nights on the turf, 

 though they extend their bodies a great way, they 

 do not quite leave their holes, but keep the ends of 

 their tails fixed therein, so that, on the least alarm, 

 they can retire with precipitation under the earth. 

 Whatever food falls within their reach when thus 

 extended, they seem to be content with, such as, 

 blades of grass, straws, fallen leaves, the ends of 

 which they often draw into their holes ; even in 

 copulation, their hinder parts never quit their holes ; 

 so that no two, except they lie within reach of each 

 other's bodies, can have any commerce of that kind ; 

 but, as every individual is an hermaphrodite, there is 

 no difficulty in meeting with a mate, as would be the 

 case were they of different sexes. WHITE. 



SNAILS AND SLUGS. The shell-less snails called 

 slugs are in motion all the winter, in mild weather, 

 and commit great depredations on garden plants, and 

 much injure the green wheat, the loss of which is 

 imputed to earth-worms ; while the shelled snail, the 

 tyepeoiKoz, does not come forth at all till about April 

 10th, and not only lays itself up pretty early in 

 autumn, in places secure from frost, but also throws 

 out round the mouth of its shell a thick operculum 

 formed from its own saliva ; so that it is perfectly 

 secured, and corked up, as it were, from all incle- 

 mencies. The cause why the slugs are able to en- 

 dure the cold so much better than shell-snails is, that 

 their bodies are covered with slime, as whales are 

 with blubber. 



Snails copulate about midsummer ; and soon after 

 deposit their eggs in the mould, by running their 

 heads and bodies under ground. Hence, the way to 



