2GG Transactions. — Zoology. 



Art. XV. — On the Habits of Earth-Worms in New Zealand. 

 By A. T. Urquhart. 

 [Read before the Auckland Institute, 12th November, 1883.] 

 The masterly way in which the habits of earth-worms have been treated by 

 Mr. Darwin, in his valuable work on "Vegetable Mould," has not left much 

 room for original research. However, as Professor Hutton informs me that 

 little or nothing is known of the New Zealand earth-worms, a few observa- 

 tions may not be superfluous, especially as their habits differ to some ex- 

 tent from the European species. As these observations were not made with 

 a view to publication, they may not in some instances have been carried out 

 to the extent they deserved, but they may be accepted as fairly accurate. 

 Having mainly followed Mr. Darwin in my experiments, it is unnecessary 

 to give much more than the results. 



The New Zealand species of Lumbricus, to which these few notes refer — 

 namely, those which burrow into the ground and eject castings more or less 

 on the surface, — are not well known, but they will probably not differ much 

 in number from the Scandinavian species. 



In a mild and humid country like this earth-worms work more or less 

 the whole year round, especially in moist and shady situations. During the 

 drier months they retire to a depth of 9-15 inches, a few occasionally as 

 much as 40 inches, into the sub-soil, where they remain, apparently hy- 

 bernating, either at the bottom of the burrows or coiled up one or more 

 together in the terminal cells, until the rains set in. The dry weather we 

 had in September caused many of them to retire temporarily into their 

 chambers. The burrows run down generally a little obliquely, sometimes 

 perpendicularly, occasionally they turn and run horizontally — in solid 

 ground. Mr. Darwin says : " They are said to sometimes branch, but as 

 far as I have seen this does not occur, except in recently dug ground and 

 near the surface." I have met with instances in which the burrows branched 

 in solid ground, but the branching has merely consisted of two short lateral 

 passages at the termination of the burrow, leading into two distinctly separate 

 chambers. The surface portion of the burrows appears to be generally lined 

 with cement, half a mm. or more thick. This is accomplished by the worms 

 ejecting little pellets of viscid humus on the sides of the walls, then spreading 

 them by gliding up and down. When partially dry this cement not only 

 strengthens the walls of the burrow, but affords a smooth surface to 

 the worm's body, which is a necessary protection, as its movements are 

 often rapid ; the interior is kept moist with slime secreted by the worm. 

 When the subsoil is favourable, the walls are occasionally merely smoothed 

 off with light-coloured castings, no defined layer being perceptible. Many 



