244 
one.: ute - square M iile they crowd the land, closely exis 
upright, and burnt by the sun into rigid rolls of. hardened clay. There 
. they stand until the rains break them down into a fine powder, rich in 
plant food, and lending itself easily to the hoe of the farmer. 
From the sample of these worm casts which I forward it will be 
seen that they are very different in form from those familiar to us in 
our English ens. 
On di igging down the soilis found to be drilled in all. directions Y 
countless multitude of worm drills, while from 13 inches to 2 
depth the worms are found in great numbers in the a peters 
[t is impossible to estimate their number per cubic foot in the soil, 
as the quantity Vds according to the season and the lócalit. Of 
the worms themselves I forward : specimens preserved in spirits, which 
should serve to identify their species. 
Having carefully removed the worm casts of one season from two 
separate square feet of land at a considerable distance from one 
another, and chosen at random, I d en result to weigh not less than 
103 pounds in a thoroughly dry st This gives a mean of over 
5 pounds per square are foot, Acc up this as the amount of earth 
brought to the surface every year by these worms, we get somewhat 
,9 
ntiring labours of its earth-worms this part of West Africa owes 
the livelihood of its people. Where the worms do not work the Yoruba 
knows that it is useless *o make his farm 
Estimating 1 square Sard of dry earth by 2 feet deep as weighing 
half a ton, we have an annual hri v vá per square yard to 
4 ; 
appears that every particle of earth in meri ton of soil to the depth of 
2 feet is brought to 4 sieeve once in 27 yea "E 
the effect of this constant moving of ihe s soil upon the e of 
the country it is not possible for pese rom expert to speak, but 
it seems more than probable that the com ive freedom of this part 
of West Africa fed dangerous malarial ecce is Due, i in part at least, 
to the work of earth-worms in ventilating and constantly bringing to 
the "liie hoe soil in I the malarial Shere live and breed. It is, 
wou 
(Signed) Arvan Mirvsow. 
