72 HABITS OF WORMS. Chap. IL 



pine-leaves into their burrows by their bases, 

 where the two needles are conjoined. But 

 how they are guided in this work is a per- 

 plexing question. 



This difficulty led my son Francis and my- 

 self to observe worms in confinement during 

 several nights by the aid of a dim light, while 

 they dragged the leaves of the above named 

 pines into their burrows. They moved the 

 anterior extremities of their bodies about the 

 leaves, and on several occasions when they 

 touched the sharp end of a needle they with- 

 drew suddenly as if pricked. But I doubt 

 whether they were hurt, for they are indif- 

 ferent to very sharp objects, and will swallow 

 even rose-thorns and small sphnters of glass. 

 It may also be doubted, whether the sharp 

 ends of the needles serve to tell them that 

 this is the wrong end to seize ; for the points 

 were cut off many leaves for a length of 

 about one inch, and fifty-seven of them thus 

 treated were drawn into the burrows by 

 their bases, and not one by the cut-off ends. 

 The worms in confinement often seized the 

 needles near the middle and drew them to- 

 wards the mouths of their burrows ; and one 



