284 MISCELLANEA. [Ch. XV. 



mutually destructive views put forward by different authors, in 

 three works which have made their appearance within the last 

 year — The Bermuda Islands, by Professor Angelo Heilprin : 

 Corals and Coral Islands, new edition by Professor J. D. Dana ; 

 and the third edition of Darwin's Coral-Beefs, with Notes and 

 Appendix by Professor T. G. Bonney. 



" Most readers will, I think, rise from the perusal of these 

 works with the conviction that, while on certain points of 

 detail it is clear that, through the want of knowledge concern- 

 ing the action of marine organisms in the open ocean, Darwin 

 was betrayed into some grave errors, yet the main foundations 

 of his argument have not been seriously impaired by the new 

 facts observed in the deep-sea researches, or by the severe 

 criticisms to which his theory has been subjected during the 

 last ten years. On the other hand, I think it will appear that 

 much misapprehension has been exhibited by some of Darwin's 

 critics, as to what his views and arguments really were ; so that 

 the reprint and wide circulation of the book in its original form 

 is greatly to be desired, and cannot but be attended with 

 advantage to all those who will have the fairness to acquaint 

 themselves with Darwin's views at first hand, before attempting 

 to reply to them." 



The only important geological work of my father's later years 

 is embodied in his book on earthworms (1881), which may 

 therefore be conveniently considered in this place. This 

 subject was one which had interested him many years before 

 this date, and in 1838 a paper on the formation of mould was 

 published in the Proceedings of the Geological Society. 



Here he showed that " fragments of burnt marl, cinders, &c, 

 which had been thickly strewed over the surface of several 

 meadows were found after a few years lying at a depth of some 

 inches beneath the turf, but still forming a layer." For the 

 explanation of this fact, which forms the central idea of the 

 geological part of the book, he was indebted to his uncle 

 Josiah Wedgwood, who suggested that worms, by bringing earth 

 to the surface in their castings, must undermine any objects 

 lying on the surface and cause an apparent sinking. 



In the book of 1881 he extended his observations on this 

 burying action, and devised a number of different ways of 

 checking his estimates as to the amount of work done. He 

 also added a mass of observations on the natural history and 

 intelligence of worms, a part of the work which added greatly 

 to its popularity. 



In 1877 Sir Thomas Farrer had discovered close to his 

 garden the remains of a building of Roman-British times, and 



