76 HABITS OF WORMS. Chap. II. 



tips of a large number of needles of P. austriaca 

 were cemented together with shell-lac dis- 

 solved in alcohol, and were kept for some 

 days^ until, as I believe, all odour or taste had 

 been lost; and they were then scattered on 

 the ground where no pine-trees grew, near 

 burrows from which the plugging had been 

 removed. Such leaves could have been drawn 

 into the burrows with equal ease by either 

 end ; and judging from analogy and more 

 especially from the case presently to be given 

 of the petioles of Clematis montana, I expected 

 that the apex would have been preferred. 

 But the result was that out of 121 leaves with 

 the tips cemented, which were drawn into bur- 

 rows, 108 were drawn in by their bases, and 

 only 13 by their tips. Thinking that the 

 worms might possibly perceive and dislike the 

 smell or taste of the shell-lac, though this 

 was very improbable, especially after the 

 leaves had been left out during several nights, 

 the tips of the needles of many leaves were 

 tied together with fine thread. Of leaves 

 thus treated 150 were drawn into burrows — 

 123 by the base and 27 by the tied tips; so 

 that between four and five times as many were 



