OF THE EARTHWORM. 109 



spun its thread about them in the water, and then died. The colour 

 of the spider was dark, with yellow dark sides, with a yellow back and 

 belly. 



The silk with which spiders cover their eggs is from the mouth, as 

 in the silk- worm ; not from the anus like that with which they spin 

 their web. 



Of the River Crawfish \_Astacus fluviatilis] . 



The freshwater crawfish spawns in June ; casts its coats in July ; 

 the new coats becoming hard in a day or two. 



The male is like to kill the female, about October, with lewdness ; so 

 that it is most probable they copulate about that time. If so, then 

 they go with egg all the winter, as I have suspected the snakes to do. 



Their four small legs have claws like pincers at the end, with which 

 they lay hold of bodies for their progressive motion. 



Economy of Earthioorms [Lumbricus terresti'is]. 



Earthworms eat vegetables, for they are found in their stomach, but 

 it is seldom that they are seen eating. They, not having teeth, will 

 confine their food to such kinds as do not require dividing. Their 

 principal food would appear to be earth, from such vast quautities being 

 found in their stomach and guts ; and the vast quantity thrown up at 

 the mouth of their holes. 



After a shower they come up from the earth and lie flat upon the 

 surface, having their tail within the hole, and they eat the earth which 

 is quite on the surface. Upon the least motion of the earth, they 

 immediately withdraw themselves into the hole. A worm of one foot 

 long can contract in length to about three inches ; so if they leave 

 three inches within the hole it is sufficient to bring in the whole body, 

 and it has nine inches out. They go vast depths into the ground. I 

 have found their holes leading down six feet in a loose sandy soil. 



September 30th, 1774, I observed a large earthworm upon the 

 ground with a white spot pretty near to the anterior end. On the 

 same morning I observed two worms in copulation. They had come 

 more than half out of their holes, which was about half a foot from one 

 another ; they lay alongside of one another ; the head of the one 

 beyond the ring of the other ; they had turned upon their side, so that 

 the belly could come in contact. They had fast hold of one another, 

 but in what way I cannot say ; whether by an endeavour to form a 

 vacuum between them like the ends of a leech, or by laying hold of one 

 another by their claws on the belly, with which they can hold fast to 



