30 HABITS OF WORMS. CHAP. I. 



and is feeble. They were quite indifferent to 

 my breath, as long" as I breathed on them very 

 gently. This was tried, because it appeared 

 possible that they might thus be warned of 

 the approach of an enemy. They exhibited, 

 the same indifference to my breath whilst I 

 chewed some tobacco, and while a pellet of 

 cotton-wool with a few drops of millefleurs 

 perfume or of acetic acid was kept in my 

 mouth. Pellets of cotton-wool soaked in 

 tobacco juice, in millefleurs perfume, and in 

 paraffin, were held with pincers and were 

 waved about within two or three inches of 

 several worms, but they took no notice. On 

 one or two occasions, however, when acetic 

 acid had been placed on the pellets, the worms 

 appeared a little uneasy, and this was 

 probably due to the irritation of their skins. 

 The perception of such unnatural odours 

 would be of no service to worms ; and as such 

 timid creatures would almost certainly exhibit 

 some signs of any new impression, we may 

 conclude that they did not perceive these 

 odours. 



The result was different when cabbage- 

 leaves and pieces of onion were employed, 



