i9i6. Frihnd. — Are White Woms Injurious} 
45 
The first communication relating to this subject which 
I have been able to trace, came from Miss M. J. Delap, 
Valencia Island, Kerry, on February 23rd, 1893. It ran 
as follows : — " These worms are making fearful havoc in 
my seeds and plants, eating the seeds especially. They hide 
in the crevices of the little wooden boxes in which I keep 
the seed, and come out at night. They crawl along very 
fast, and when frightened, seem to sink into the wood till 
almost invisible." 
My memorandum is "A number of Enchytraeids 
received" ; but I fear there are no records by means of which 
I can identify the species, nor can I at present be certain 
whether the specimens were preserved. 
Nearly a decade passed, apparently, before I received 
any further enquiry on the subject from Ireland. In 
1902, however, several letters came to hand, the first being 
dated January 27th, when Professor Carpenter wrote : — 
" Would you kindly name the enclosed worms for me ? 
They are burrowing in celery stems, and the person who 
has sent -them to me believes them to be the primary 
destructive agent. I think they may have got into the 
stem through old fly-maggot burrows." 
I have to refer the reader for my reply to an article 
which appeared in the Irish Naturalist for May, 1902, vol. 
xi., pp. 110-115, on " Studies in Irish Enchytraeids," 
where reference is made to the fact that asters, tulips, 
fritillaries and celery had suffered in a similar way in 
England. The culprits were Enchtryaeus parvulus Friend 
(E. argenteus Mich.). 
In May of the same year Professor Carpenter wrote 
again as follows : — " I send herewith some mould containing 
live Enchytraeus (?), which are reported as injurious to 
tomatoes. Perhaps you will kindly let me know what you 
think of them." My reply has not been preserved by me, 
so that I am unable to say what species was suspect. 
The late Mr. Geo. Hart wrote me from Howth on 
September 22nd (1902 ?), enclosing some white worms found 
inside a big root. They proved to be a species of Fridericia, 
and I should imagine from a note in my possession that 
I named it Fr. galha Hoffm. 
