34 HABITS OF WORMS. Chap. I. 



preferred to those of the lime-tree and hazel 

 (Corylus). According to Mr. Bridgman the 

 half-decayed leaves of Phlox verna are par- 

 ticularly liked by worms.* 



Pieces of the leaves of cabbage, turnip, 

 horse-radish and onion were left on the pots 

 during 22 days, and were all attacked and 

 had to be renewed; but during the whole 

 of this time leaves of an Artemisia and of 

 the culinary sage, thyme and mint, mingled 

 with the above leaves, were quite neglected 

 excepting those of the mint, which were occa- 

 sionally and very slightly nibbled. These 

 latter four kinds of leaves do not differ in 

 texture in a manner which could make them 

 disagreeable to worms; they all have a 

 strong taste, but so have the four first men- 

 tioned kinds of leaves ; and the wide differ- 

 ence in the result must be attributed to a 

 preference by the worms for one taste over 

 another. 



Mental Qualities. — There is little to be said 

 on this head. We have seen that worms are 

 timid. It may be doubted whether they 

 suffer as much pain when injured, as they 



* « The Zoologist,' vol. vii. 1849, p. 2576. 



