Vol. XXIV. No. 5.] 
POPULAR SCIEJNCE NEWS. 
75 
the third or fourth segment of the head, and is con- 
nected with the first ventral ganglion hy a nerve- 
collar surrounding the gullet. Anyone who will 
dissect an earthworm, rendering it insensible hy 
placing it in a closed jar containing a few drops of 
chloroform, can easily trace out the nervous system. 
It is an interesting question whether the dorsal 
ganglion should not be regarded as homologous to 
the brain of higher animals. 
It is seen that the earthworm has quite a high 
degree of organization. It possesses the same sys- 
tems, or sets of organs or tissues, that the highest 
animals do. We will close our study by considering 
the functions of that one of these systems which 
most allies the earthworm with animals higher in 
the scale of life, viz., the nervous system. 
If a worm lying quietly in its retreat be suddenly 
disturbed, as by smartly touching any part of its 
skin, it quickly moves away — scampering, as it 
were, into its burrow. This is an instance of phy- 
siological reflex action, and proves that the ganglia 
just referred to are nerve-centers. The^stimulus 
applied to the skin manifests itself in muscular con- 
tractions, and there is no reason to doubt that the 
physiological process is the same as that by which 
physical contacts cause muscular actions in our own 
bodies — as when one draws away his hand from 
contact with a hot bodv. 
The same experiment proves that the earthworm 
has the sense of touch. It has already been said 
that it has the sense of sight; this is proved by the 
fact that when a bright light is suddenly flashed 
upon the head-end o( the body, the worm quickly 
hies away. As to the sense of hearing, there is no 
reason for thinking they possess it; all experiments 
go to show that they are quite deaf. But as to 
taste, the fact that they are sotnewhat fastidious in 
their 'selection of food — preferring the tender and 
succulent roots of certain plants — seems to leave no 
doubt that they possess this sense. The indications 
are that they also possess a faint sense of smell. 
Thus the earthworm has four of the five senses 
characteristic of the higher animals. And now a 
question of much interest arises. Has the worm 
not only senses, but also sensations f Does it have 
feeiinrjs of touch, sight, etc. > The wigglings of the 
worm, when pierced by the sharp hock, would seem 
to indicate clearly that they are capable of pain. 
Yet it is impossible for us to know that they have 
sensations at all ; the phenomena may be purely 
those of reflex action. All analogy, however, sup- 
ports the aflirmative view of this question. If we 
thus conclude that the earthworm has sensations, 
then, since sensations are states of consciousness, 
we must ascribe to this animal a low order of mind. 
Union College, Schenectady, N. Y. 
[SpecL-illy Observed for Popular Science News.] 
METEOROLOGY FOR MARCH, 1890. 
TEMPERATURE. 
Average Thermometer. 
Lowest. 
Highest. 
Range. 
At 7 A. M 
At 2 P. M 
At 9 P. M 
Whole Month .... 
Second Average . . . 
29-03° 
38W 
32.16" 
33-.i8' 
33-07° 
4' 
20' 
12- 
4° 
4' 
a?' 
60° 
45° 
^\ 
42 
Last ao Marches . . . 
Second Average . . . 
3»-S7' 
32-22* 
24^5' 
in 187a. 
39-18' j 
in ,878. i 
■4-73° 
The lowest point reached by the mercury the last 
month, at the hours of observation, was 4°, on the 
7th, and this was also the coldest da^', with an aver- 
age of 12°. The first week, "omitting the first day, 
averaged only 21.43°. The highest point was 60°, 
on the 13th, and this, with the 12th, were the warm- 
est days, averaging very nearly the same tempera- 
ture — 52.5°. The entire month wa? less than one 
degree above the average of March for the last 
twenty years, as shown by the above table, and yet 
it was below the average temperature of the entire 
last winter, which was 33 90° (reported by mistake, 
37-^3°-) 
SKY. 
The face of the sky, in 93 observations, gave 49 
fair, 6 cloudy, 19 overcast, 1 1 rainy, and 8 snowy,— 
a percentage of 52.7 fair. The average fair for the 
last twenty Marches has been only 50, with extremes 
of 33-3 in iSSi, and 63.4 in 1883. A fog came on in 
the afternoon of the nth, and continued on the fol- 
lowing morning. The 22d was also foggy. We had 
a few fine days, and, though more than half the 
observations were fair, yet unusual storm after 
storm followed with frequency and power, as will 
appear under the following head of 
PRECIPITATION. 
This has been abundant the past month, both in 
the form of snow and rain. The amount, including 
31 inches of melted snow, was 9.90 inches, — nearly 
equal to the amount of the entire past winter, 9.97 
inches. The average for the last twenty-two 
Marches has been 5.52 inches, with extremes of 
i.iS in 1885, and 10.22 in 1877. Thus March con- 
tinues without a rival as the banner month for the 
largest amount of precipitation. The amount of 
snowfall the past month was more than double that 
of the entire last winter. About 14 inches fell on 
the 2d and 3d. My snow-gague holds 12 inches, 
but was overflowing on the morning of the 3d. 
Seven inches more fell on the 6th, and we had fine 
sleighing for seven or eight days. Warm days and 
rain had removed all this snow by the 14th. On the 
15th 3 inches of snow fell, with 7 more on the 19th, 
but it soon disappeared, and the ground remained 
bare most of the month. On the evening of the 
zzd there was a heavy shower, with thunder and 
sharp lightning, when 2 86 inches of rain fell, leav- 
ing a trace of snow in the morning. On three 
other occasions the amount of rain and melted snow 
varied from 1.30 to i 85 inches. So much rain and 
snow, often mingled, gave plenty of slush and 
muddy travelling, with a raw atmosphere. Rain or 
snow fell at the hour of 19 observations. 
PRESSURE. 
The average pressure the last month was 29 941 
inches, with extremes of 29.44 "" the i6th, and 3040 
on the 25th,— a range of .96 inch. The average for 
the last seventeen Marches has been 29. 885, with ex- 
tremes of 29.639 in 1S81, and 29991 in 18S2,— a 
range of .352 inch. The sum of the daily varia- 
tions was 6.66 inches, giving a mean daily move- 
ment of .215 inch, while this average the last 
seventeen Marches has been .237, with extremes of 
.189 and .282. The largest daily movements were 
.45 on the 25th and .39 on the 23d. 
WINDS. . 
The average direction of the wind the past month 
was W. 32'J 41' N., or nearly W. N. W., which was 
very nearly the average of the last twenty-one 
Marches, viz., W. 32° 55' N. The extremes have 
been W. 1° 35' N. in 1879, and E. 87° 30' N. in 1870, 
—a range of 90° 55', or full eight points of the com- 
pass. 
COMPARATIVE METEOROLOGY OF NEW ENGLAND 
FOR FEBRUARY, 189O, 
with that of the last winter; gathered from the 
Bulletins of the New England Meteorological Society. 
The table below may need some explanation. 
Under "No." is given first the number of reports 
from observers in each State to find the average or 
mean temperature of February and the extremes, as 
given on the same horizontal line; under this is 
given the number of reports for the three winter 
months combined, from which is found the mean 
temperature of the winter of 1889-90, with extremes 
of the highest and lowest winter month reported in 
each State. The same arrangement is continued 
under precipitation, as given in inches. 
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According to the above-named authority, I also 
learn that the average temperature of the winters in 
New England was 25.37°, as found by combining 
twenty-five stations, having a record of more than 
ten years; while that of the last winter was 31°— an 
excess above the average of 5 63°. The average at 
Natick the last twenty years was 26.41°; that of last 
winter 33.9 — an excess of 7. 49°. 
From the same source, I learn that the average 
precipitation of the winters in New England, hav- 
ing a similar record at over thirty stations, was 
n.28 inches, — showing a deficiency of 1.39 inches. 
The average at Natick in twenty-two years is 13.50 
inches, — a like deficiency of 3.53 inches. 
By further examination of this table, we may' 
learn that each of the six States, and so of all New 
England, had a higher temperature in the winter 
that that of a very warm February ; and, if we may 
judge by the temperature of the present March in 
Natick, the winter was warmer than an average 
March,— all showing that the temperature of the 
last winter was truly very remarkable. 
It will be further seen that the precipitation was 
greatest in the more northern sections of New Eng- 
land, with a gradual decrease toward the southern. 
D. W. 
Natick, April 5, 1S90. 
Errata. — In the table on page 59, last line but one, 
for 37.23° read 33.90°; and in the last line, for 
26.57° read 26.40°, for 37.23° read 3390°, and for 
f5.3S" read 12.05°. 
[Specially Computed for Popular Science News.] 
ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA FOR 
MAY, 1S90. 
Mercury is in fine position for observation dur- 
ing the first half of the month, when the best 
opportunity of the whole year will be aftbrded. It 
is an evening star, and comes to greatest eastern 
elongation on the morning of May 6. At that time 
it is also several degrees north of the sun, and 
remains above the horizon for an hour and a half or 
more after sunset. It may probably be seen on any 
clear evening during the first half of the month, 
low down in the northwestern sky during th& 
