226 THE HAUNTS OF LIFE 



HAUNTS WITHIN HAUNTS 



Until an animal becomes big-brained and 

 resourceful, or is endowed with a rich equip- 

 ment of inborn gifts which we call instincts, 

 or has some special ways of protecting itself 

 or effacing itself, the surface of the earth is a 

 hazardous home. This makes it easy to under- 

 stand why there should be haunts within 

 haunts, such as caves and grottos ; why some 

 land animals become subterranean burrowers 

 and others arboreal climbers ; why some have 

 returned to the water, like the water-beetles 

 and the whales ; and why some have sneaked 

 inside other animals. 



BENEATH THE GROUND 



Among the first animals to discover the 

 world beneath the ground were the earthworms. 

 The strong probability is that they originally 

 belonged to a fresh-water stock, for several 

 earthworms have gills. When they colonised 

 the dry land and became able to breathe dry 

 air through their moist skin, they must have 

 had for a time a Golden Age. Land vegeta- 

 tion had been established, and they found food 



