Oh. XV.] EARTHWORMS, 1881. 285 



thus gave my father the opportunity of seeing for himself the 

 effects produced by earthworms on the old concrete floors, 

 walls, &o. On his return he wrote to Sir Thomas Farrer : — 



" I cannot remember a more delightful week than the last. 

 I know very well that E. will not believe me, but the worms 

 were by no means the sole charm." 



In the autumn of 1880, when the Power of Movement in 

 Plants was nearly finished, he began once more on the subject. 

 He wrote to Professor Carus (September 21) : — 



" In the intervals of correcting the press, I am writing a 

 very little book, and have done nearly half of it. Its title will 

 be (as at present designed), The Formation of Vegetable Mould 

 through the Action of Worms.* As far as I can judge, it will be 

 a curious little book." 



The manuscript was sent to the printers in April 1881, and 

 when the proof-sheets were coming in he wrote to Professor 

 Carus : " The subject has been to me a hobby-horse, and I have 

 perhaps treated it in foolish detail." 



It was published on October 10, and 2000 copies were sold 

 at once. He wrote to Sir J. D. Hooker, " I am glad that you 

 approve of the Worms. When in old days I used to tell you 

 whatever I was doing, if you were at all interested, I always 

 felt as most men do when their work is finally published." 



To Mr. Mellard Eeade he wrote (November 8) : " It has 

 been a complete surprise to me how many persons have cared 

 for the subject." And to Mr. Dyer (in November) : " My 

 book has been received with almost laughable enthusiasm, and 

 3500 copies have been sold I ! ! " Again to his friend Mr. 

 Anthony Eich, he wrote on February 4, 1882, " I have been 

 plagued with an endless stream of letters on the subject ; most 

 of them very foolish and enthusiastic ; but some containing 

 good facts which I have used in correcting yesterday the 

 Sixth Thousand." The popularity of the book may be roughly 

 estimated by the fact that, in the three years following its 

 publication, 8500 copies were sold — a sale relatively greater 

 than that of the Origin of Species. 



It is not difficult to account for its success with the non- 

 scientific public. Conclusions so wide and so novel, and so 

 easily understood, drawn from the study of creatures so familiar, 

 and treated with unabated vigour and freshness, may well 

 have attracted many readers. A reviewer remarks: "In the 

 eyes of most men. . . the earthworm is a mere blind, dumb- 



* The full title is The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the 

 Action of Worms, with Observations on their Habits, 1881. 



