THE EARTH-WORM. 



Except that the worm makes use of bristles, and the snake of the edges of its scales, 

 the mode of progress is much the same in both cases. The whole body of the 

 creature is very elastic, and capable of being extended or contracted to a wonderful 

 degree. When it wishes to advance, it pushes forward its body, permits the bristles to 

 hitch against the ground, and then, by contracting the rings together, brings itself for- 

 ward, and is ready for another step. As in each full-grown Earth-worm there are at 

 least one hundred and twenty rings, and each ring contains eight bristles, it may be 

 imagined that the hold upon the ground is very strong. 



As every one knows, the Earth-worm lives a very solitary life below ground, driving 

 its little tunnels in all directions, and never seeing its friends, except at night, when it 

 comes cautiously to the surface and searches for company. In the evening, if the 

 observer be furnished with a " bull's-eye " lantern, and will examine the ground with a 

 very gentle and cautious step, he will be sure to find many worms stretching themselves 

 out of their holes, retaining for the most part their hold of the place of repose by a 



f '*''- 



EARTH-WORM. Lumbricu* terresirls 



ring or two still left in the hole, and elongating themselves to an almost incredible 

 extent. If, while thus employed, an Earth-worm be alarmed or touched, it springs 

 back into its hole as if it had been a string of india-rubber that had been stretched 

 and was suddenly released. 



The worms have a curious habit of searching for various leaves and dragging them 

 into their holes, the point downwards, and are always careful to select those particular 

 leaves which they best like. As a general rule, they dislike evergreens ; and the leaf 

 which I have found to be most in favor is that of the primrose. I have often watched 

 the worms engaged in this curious pursuit; and in the dusk of the evening it has a 

 very strange effect to see a leaf moving over the ground as if by magic, the dull reddish 

 brown of the worm being quite invisible in the imperfect light. 



The food of the Earth-worm is wholly of a vegetable nature, and consists of the roots 

 of various plants, of leaves, and decaying vegetable substances. Many persons cherish a 

 rooted fear of the Earth-worm, fancying that it lives in churchyards and feeds upon the 

 dead. These fears are but idle prejudice, for the worm cares no more for the coffined dead 

 than does the tiger for th 2 full manger, or the ox for the bleeding gazelle. The corpse 



