THE EARTHWORM. 
61 
4. " My body is very soft; it has neither bones 
within it, nor hard shell to cover it. It is made 
up of a great number of rings, 
which fit close to each other. 
Each of these rings has eight 
short stiff hairs on it, four being 
on the under part of the ring, 
and two at each side. It is by 
the help of these hairs that I 
travel, for I have no feet. 
5. When I stretch my body forward I hold 
on to the ground by my hairs. When I enter 
the ground, my head forces its way between the 
small pieces of earth; then I draw the rest of 
Part of Body of Earth- 
worm (shown very large), 
showing Rings and Bristles. 
Earthworms. 
my body forward. In this way, little by little, I 
get into the ground. The slime that is always 
on my body helps me to move along easily, and 
keeps the soil from clinging to me. 
