106 HABITS OF WORMS. Chap. IL 



stones with which the cellar was paved ; and 

 in this case it is improbable that the worms 

 could ever have obtained leaves. 



But the best evidence, known to me, of 

 worms subsisting for at least considerable 

 periods of time solely on the organic matter 

 contained in earth, is afforded by some facts 

 communicated to me by Dr. King. Near 

 Nice large castings abound in extraordinary 

 numbers, so that 5 or 6 were often found 

 within the space of a square foot. They 

 consist of fine, pale-coloured earth, containing 

 calcareous matter, which after having passed 

 through the bodies of worms and being dried, 

 coheres with considerable force. I have 

 reason to believe that these castings had been 

 formed by species of Perichseta, which have 

 been naturalised here from the Bast.* They 



* Dr. King gave me some worms collected near Nice, which, 

 as ho helieves, had constructed these castings. They were sent 

 to M. Perrier, who with great kindness examined and named them 

 for me : they consisted of Perichceta afflnis, a native of Cochin 

 China and of the Philippines ; P. Luzonka, a native of Luion 

 Id the Philippines ; and P. Houlleti, which lives near Calcutta. 

 M. Perrier informs me that species of Perichseta have heen natural- 

 ized in the gardens near Montpellier and in Algiers. Before I 

 had any reason to suspect that the tower-like castings from Nice 

 had been formed by worms not endemic in the country, I was 



