Year: 1867

EARTH WORMS--HOW AND WHAT THEY


EAT


MEssRs EpIToRs ~ see that you have pub
hshed an article about the habits OF earth worms,
which useful little creatures seem 20 be much un-
derated. They may eat earth, your author as
serts, bu. have never seen them do IT, although |
have them eat other things with great voraci-
ty and have also seen them reject particles OF
earth which adhered to their proper food such as
dead spears OF grass, roots and leaves.


have watched them feeding for hours at a time,
and retain lively recollection Of several rheumatic
attacks, resulting from the wetting got while SO
watching them. They feed at the surface only
when the withered vegetation is wet with rain or
dew and is in a soft and pliable state. When their
food found at the surface is dry and too hard for
their mouths TO manage they retire TO the congen-
ial depths OF the ground deighting in heaps of
''longn manure, which they reduce to a homoge-
neous mass Of compost with great rapidity by CON
sumng the vegetable and indigested parts thereof,
Transforming the latter matter from vegetable to
animal character. leaving the mass at its lowest
chemical status aud so fit for the food Of plants.
Indeed | doubt If any atoms of vegetation can
decay aud be again fit food for other vegetable
organisms without an intervening decomposition
in animal digestive apparatus. Az all events it is
easy to prove that earth worms compost maxi
ers, and if we do not give them time TO properly
manufacture their ''productN while the manure is
in the compost heap, they will appear in the fields
and then complete their job, and further, their
work in the field yields another benefit by their
boring aud opening OF the soil.


Their manner of eating is worth noticing. If
you seat yourself upon grass plat or beside the
strawberry bed, during a light rain in warm wealth
err and have the patience to sit perfectly still for
ten or fifteen minutes, you will see innumerable
worm heads protruling cautiously from the ground
aud feeling aronnd until spear OF soft and recent
ly killed grass is found. The worm touches 1t first
a. Al. tlIel u.It tlas IL.
point retracts inward much like the toe OF a
stocking when you touch it with your finger to
commence turning it then the worm shortens its
length the other end being fast anchored in the
hole this section makes a blight in the spear Of
grass and then the worm crawls along the outcde OF
his supper until the parts dverge too much when he
takes another pull and so until the grass is oos-
ened from It's own roots and safely swallowed. |
have observed that if particle OF earth adhere
to the food it is showed along as the swallowing
progresses, and not allowed TO enter the mouth.
The final act of swallowing the end, and biting off
the lump of root which is sometimes attached,
have never SEEM as that is performed IN the bole
but have frequently seen the worm re-appear
with pellet OF earth balanced upon his head, or
it may be only the piece Of root il his supper was
clean which he deposits at the surface besides bis
hole when he prowls around for more food while
it is good,


When two worms seize opposite ends Of the
some spear, the pulling and hauling is most conn
CAL reminding one strongly of his early days when
he strung grains of corn on opposite ends OF a
string and fed to rival goblers The worm fight
generally ends by the breakage of the grass, but il
too strong they both swallow until their heads touch
each other when they both get leaving the
morsel, which they viii not touch again. have
often these worms breaking off the dead parts
of strawberry leaves, rejecting the living parts
and have also them apparently sucking th,
polen from strawberry blossoms. In the tal
large tufts OF dead leaves may be seen drawn par