CHAP. II. CONSTRUCTION OF THEIR BURROWS. 115 



viscid castings voided by the worms. The 

 structures thus formed cohered so well, that I 

 succeeded in removing one with only a little 

 earth adhering to it. It consisted of a slightly 

 curved cylindrical case, the interior of which 

 could be seen through holes in the sides and 

 at either end. The pine-leaves had all been 

 drawn in by their bases ; and the sharp points 

 of the needles had been pressed into the 

 lining of voided earth. Had this not been 

 effectually done, the sharp points would have 

 prevented the retreat of the worms into their 

 burrows ; and these structures would have 

 resembled traps armed with converging 

 points of wire, rendering the ingress of an 

 .animal easy and its egress difficult or inr 

 possible. The skill shown by these worms 

 is noteworthy and is the more remarkable, as 

 the Scotch pine is not a native of this district. 

 After having examined these burrows 

 made by worms in confinement, I looked at 

 those in a flower-bed near some Scotch pines. 

 These had all been plugged up in the ordinary 

 manner with the leaves of this tree, drawn in 

 for a length of from 1 to 1^ inch; but the 

 mouths of many of them were likewise lined 



K 



