74 HABITS OF WORMS. Chap. II. 



of a leaf, this was on two occasions relin- 

 quished from some unknown motive. 



As already remarked, the habit of plugging 

 up the mouths of the burrows with various 

 objects, is no doubt instinctive in worms ; 

 and a very young one, born in one of my 

 pots_, dragged for some little distance a Scotch- 

 fir leaf, one needle of which was as long and 

 almost as thick as its own body. No species 

 of pine is endemic in this part of England, 

 it is therefore incredible that the proper 

 manner of dragging pine-leaves into the 

 burrows can be instinctive with our worms. 

 But as the worms on which the above obser- 

 vations were made, were dug up beneath or 

 near some pines, which had been jolanted 

 there about forty years, it was desirable to 

 prove that their actions were not instinctive. 

 Accordingly, pine-leaves were scattered on 

 the ground in places far removed from any 

 pine-tree, and 90 of them were drawn into 

 the burrows by their bases. Only two were 

 drawn in by the tips of the needles, and these 

 were not real exceptions, as one was drawn 

 in for a very short distance, and the two 

 needles of the other cohered. Other pine- 



