EAR , 
■it's body, and thereby facilitate it's paffage into 
the earth. Lil^e the generality of infe6ls, it is fur- 
hifhed with breathing-holes along tlie back, ad- 
joining to each ring; biit it has neither bones, 
eyesi nor ears: however, it has a mouth, as v/ell 
as an alimentary canal, which extends to the very 
extremity of the tail; but in fome worms, particu- 
larly fuch as are found in. the bodies of animals, 
this canal opens towatds the middle of the belly, 
at a confiderable diftance from the tail. The in- 
teftines of thefe worms are always filled with a very 
fine earth, which appears to be the only nourilh- 
ment they are capable of receiving. 
The Earth-Worm is entirely deftitute of brains ; 
but the heart, which is fituated near the head, is 
feen to beat with a very diflind motion ; and round 
it are placed the fpermatic velTels, which form a 
number of little globules containing a milky fluid, 
and having a communication with the belly not far 
from the head : in thefe alfo numbers of eggs are 
frequently found; vv^hich, being laid in the earth, 
are hatched in twelve or fourteen days through 
the warmth of their fituation. 
Thefe v/orms, like fnails, unite in themfelves 
both fexes at once, the reptile which impregnates 
being fecundated in it's turn; and perhaps there 
are but few perfons who have not obferved them 
with their heads placed againfc each other, and fo 
ftrongly attached, as to fuffer themfelves to be very 
roughly handled rather than be difengaged. 
The ego-s of the Earth -Worms being laid in 
the earth, and brought to maturity in about four- 
teen days, as before obferved, the young ones ifliie 
forth, very fmall, but perfe6l in their formation, 
and fuffer no farther change during the whole pe- 
riod of their exiftence; but how long their lives are 
protrafted, is not well afcertained, though they 
certainly extend to two or three feafons. At the 
commencement of winter, they bury themfelves 
deep in the eardi, and appear in fome meafure to 
fhare in the general torpidity of the infeft tribe: 
but in fpring they revive with the reft of nature ; 
and a moiil or dewy evening generally draws them 
from their retreats, for the purpofe of propagating 
their kind. They live chiefly in a light rich foil, 
moiftened by dews or accidental fliowers ; but avoid 
thofe fituations v/here the water is apt to remain on 
the furface of the earth, or where the clay is too 
ftifF for their eafy progreflion under ground. 
Defl:itute and hefplefs as thefe reptiles may feem 
to be, they are extremely vigilant in avoiding all 
fuch animals as naturally prey on them ; and in par- 
ticular the mole, that feeds entirely on diefe crea- 
tures beneath the furface of the earth, and which, 
from the dimnefs of it's fight, ieldom ventures into 
the open air: this enemy they avoid by darting up 
from the earth the inftant they perceive the foil 
begin to move ; and fifliermen, who are well ac- 
quainted with this infl:in6t, take them in whatever 
numbers they pleafe, by fl:amping on the earth 
\vhere they exped to find them. They are alfo 
eafily driven from their fubterraneous retreats by 
pouring bitter or acrid water over them, fuch as 
that in winch green walnuts have been flieeped, or 
a lye made of potafhes. 
The foregoing are the general oudines of the 
hiftory of thefe Worms; and, fo far as we have 
proceeded, nothing has been remarked which ap- 
pears to degrade them beneath the rank of other 
animals of the infeft creation: but we now come 
to that part of it which proves the imperfedion of 
their organs, from the facility with which thefe lit- 
EAR 
tie rriachihes may be damaged, and again repaired. 
It is a well-known axiom in mechanics, that the 
finefl; and mofl: complicated inftruments are the 
fooneft deranged, and with the greateft difficulty 
adjufted. The fame alfo holds good in the ani- 
mal cEconomy: manj the moft intricate machine 
of all others, whofe nerves are very numerous, and 
his powers of aftion exceedingly various, is eafily 
deilroyed, frequently by cafualties which feven 
birds or quadrupeds readily furvive; and, as we 
defcend gradually to the lower ranks, the ruder 
the compofition, the more difficultly is it dif- 
arranged. Some animals exift without their limbs, 
and often reproduce them; and others live defti- 
tute of brains for many weeks together: caterpil- 
lars continue to increafe and extend themfelves, 
though all tiieir noble organs within are entirely 
deftroyed; fome creatures, though cut in funder, 
fcill exift, and their nobler parts preferve life, while 
their amputated ones perifh ; but Earth-Worms, 
as well as all the zoophyte tribe, continue to live 
in feparate parts; and one animal, by means of fe- 
ca^on, is divided into numerous diftinfl exift- 
ences. 
Throughout tlie extenfive fubjeftof natural hif- 
tory, no phenomenon is more aft-onifl:iing, than 
that man fhould at pleafure enjoy a kind of crea- 
tive power, fo as out of one life to produce two; 
each compleatly formed, with all it's apparatus and 
fundions ; each having it's perceptions, and powers 
of motion and felf-prefervation ; and each being as 
compleat in every refpe<5t as that from which it 
derived k's exiftence, and equally enjoying the 
humble gratifications of it's nature. 
When the ingenious, though enthufiaftic, Des 
Cartes, firft broached the doftrine that brutes were 
machines, the difcovery of this furprizing propa- 
gation was unknown, otherwife it would in fome 
meafure have ftrengthened his fanciful theory. He 
would naturally have alked. What is life in brutes? 
or, Vv^here does it refide ? In fome, we find it fo 
difilifed, that every part feems to maintain a viva- 
cious principle; and the fame animal appears to 
be pofiTeiTed of a thoufand diftinft irrational fouls 
at one time. But nothing, in reality, delerves the 
name of foul, but that which reafons, underftands, 
and is impreflfed with the image of it's Creator. 
Such might probably have been the fpecula- 
tions of this philofopher: but, quitting his theoryj 
fuffice it to remark, that we are indebted for the 
firft dilcovery of this power of reproduftion in ani- 
mals to Mr. Trembley, who obferved it in the po- 
lypus; and, after him, to Spalanzani, and fome 
other ingenious naturalifts, who found it pre- 
vail in the Earth- Worm, the Sea- Worm, and fe- 
veral other rudely- conftrufted animals of afimilar 
kind which were fufceptible of this novel mode of 
propagation. This laft gentleman, to whom na- 
tural hiftory in general is under the higheft ob- 
ligations, tried feveral experiments on Earth- 
Worms, many of which fucceeded according to 
his expedations, though every individual animal 
did not maintain it's vivacious principle with an 
equal degree of firmnefs : fome, when cut in two, 
were entirely deftroyed; others furvived only in 
their nobler parts; and, while their heads conti- 
nued to be animated, their tails perifhed, and new 
animals were obferved to proceed from their extre- 
mities. But, what v/as moft aftonifhing, in fome 
of thefe Worms, particularly the fmall red-headed 
ones, both extremities furvived the operadon: the 
head produced a rail with an anus, the inteftines, 
3 Y the 
