The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-12-14
The Humble Worm.
His Amazing Intelligence as Discovered
by Mr.. Darwin.

Mr.. Darwin has long kept worms in contine-
ment in pots of earth in his study, and the first
chapter is devoted to their habits. Worms,
though they must be considered as terrestrial
animals, are nevertheless able to live under
water, and Perrier kept several large worms
for nearly four months alive thus submerged.
They are nocturnal in their habits, but seldom
wander far from their burrows though some
times after heavy rains they crawl as great q
distance as fifteen yards. They probably then
never find their old burrows again, but have
to make fresh ones. They often lie for hours
almost motionless close beneath the mouths OF
their burrows, probably, as Mr.. Darwin be-
lieyes, for the sake of warmth. They line the
upper parts of their burrows with leaves with
great skill and neatness, filling up the inter-
stices between the leaves with small stones and
such objects as beads and bits Of tile when
these are strewed near their burrows. That
the tubes are thus lined with leaves is a dis
covery Of Mr.. Darwin's. 1t is in keeping with
the great skill in tube building exhibited by
numerous marine annelids, though not hither-
TO suspected of earth worms. Worms, though
destitute of eyes, are not entirely insensible to
light. But light takes some time to act upon
them, and must be intense to do 30. Only the
anterior extremity of the worms body is sensi-
tive to light which acts, apparently, directly
on the cerebral ganglia. Possibly their progen-
itors had eyes, which were lost on their taking
TO undo rground habits; and the CONSTITUENCIES
of the cerebral surface may be O. last trace OF
former more complete power OF vision. when
the attention of worms is taken up BY work at
leaf dragging, or some such occupation, their
sensibilify to light seems to fall into aDeyance
Worms kept in the dark, from habit still come
out in the night and withdraw into their bur-
rows during the day Though they are entire
IL deaf they are extremely sensitive to yibra-
lions of the earth in which their burrows are
made. This was proved by putting two pots OF
earth with worm burrows IN them on plano.
Single notes struck in either bass or treble
sent them into their holes forthwith. The
worms kept in confinement found little bits OF
food buried near the mouths of their burrows
apparently by means of sense OF smell. They
like raw fat better than anything else to cat,
and next to that onion. They seize objects
either by taking hold of them between their
upper or under lips or at their edges, or by us
ing their mouths ss suckers. One of the most
curious of their habits is that of protecting the
entries of their burrows. They often pile little
heaps of stones over these. Their strength is
extraordinary, for one stone dragged over 2
gravel walk TO the mouth Of burrow weighed
Two ounces. Usually they plug the mouths OF
their burrows with leaves, leaf-stalks sticks,
etc. ANY one who looks about him will see
plenty OF worms burrows with such things
sticking out of them. They show very great
intelligence in the selection of substances
which they use as plugs, ana IN choosing
which ends they shall seize and drag In first
They do not seize most leaves, for instance, py
their stalks, which would seem most handy TO
lay hold Of, but by their tips because the
leaves are most easily dragged down into the
holes when thus introduced; but when the pas