WORMS. 



THE EARTHWORM. 



(Lumbricus.) 



Haunts and Habits. This animal is familiar enough to 

 the man who tills the soil, and to the boy who goes fishing 

 and digs his own bait. It is common in garden soil every- 

 where. It is strictly nocturnal in its habits. In warm 

 weather it may be observed, with the aid of a lantern at 

 night, extending itself from its burrow, and searching the 

 ground over within a radius of its own length. 



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EARTHWORM (Lumbricus terrestris). 



It swallows earth in great quantities, and, having 

 extracted from it whatever organic matter it contains, 

 ejects it again in the form of castings. These broken 

 vermiform castings are familiar objects to every observ- 

 ing person, for there is hardly a path in garden or meadow 

 that is not strewn with them. They are often found 

 abundantly, late in autumn, under piles of fallen leaves. 

 The worms in this way bring great quantities of subsoil 

 to the surface, and greatly increase the porosity of the 

 soil by eating holes through it. 



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