CONTENTS. v 



weight of earth ejected from a burrow, and from all 

 the burrows within a given space — The thickness 

 of the layer of mould which the castings on a given 

 space would form within a given time if uniformly 

 spread out — The slow rate at which mould can 

 increase to a great thickness — Conclusion. 



Pages 131-177 



CHAPTER IV. 



THE PART WHICH WORMS HAVE PLAYED IN THE 

 BURIAL OF ANCIENT BUILDINGS. 



The accumulation of rubbish on the sites of great cities 

 independent of the action of worms — The burial of 

 a Roman villa at Abinger — The floors and walls 

 penetrated by worms — Subsidence of a modern 

 pavement — The buried pavement at Beaulieu Abbey 

 — Roman villas at Chedworth and Brading — The 

 remains of the Roman town at Silchester — The 

 nature of the debris by which the remains are 

 covered — The penetration of the tesselated floors 

 and walls by worms — Subsidence of the floors — 

 Thickness of the mould — The old Roman city of 

 Wroxeter — Thickness of the mould — Depth of the 

 foundations of some of the buildings — Conclusion. 



178-231 



CHAPTER V. 



THE ACTION OF WORMS IN THE DENUDATION OF 

 THE LAND. 



Evidence of the amount of denudation which the land 

 has undergone — Sub-aerial denudation — The deposi- 

 tion of dust — Vegetable mould, its dark colour and 



