BOBBING FOR EELS 



over the mold and loosens it up, plough- 

 ing it, as it were, for future planters who 

 should thus be able to enjoy the fruits of 

 the earth, leveling it and working in 

 various ways for the good of mankind. 

 But Darwin never says a word of the in- 

 estimable value of earthworms as angle- 

 worms. Thus often do our greatest sci- 

 entists fail to interpret things at their 

 true value. Very likely Darwin never had 

 an opportunity to bob for eels in a New 

 England pond. If so he would have seen 

 worms as they are, for no man can really 

 know things till he has yearned for them. 



In the winter time the angleworm goes 

 down well below the reach of frost which 

 will kill him. Indeed, he is sensitive to 

 the cold, and comes to the surface only 

 when the sun has warmed the earth so that 

 it is comfortable. Under the May moon 



he comes, sometimes clear out of his hole, 



225 



