OCR Text |
Show 32 HABITS OF WORMS. CHAP. I. watered, so as to be rendered very compact, and these pieces were never discovered. On a third occasion the same kind of sand was neither pressed down nor watered, and the pieces of cabbage were discovered and removed after the second night. These several facts indicate that worms possess some power of smell; and that they discover by .this means odoriferous and much-coveted lnnds of food. It may be presumed that all animals which feed on various substances possess the sense of taste and this is certainly the case with worms. ' Cabbage-leaves are much liked by worms· and it appears that they can distinguish between different varieties; ~ut th.is may perhaps be owing to differences In theu texture. On eleven occasions pieces of the fresh leaves of a common green variety and of the red variety used for pickling were given them, and they preferred the green, the red being either wholly neglected or much less gnawed. On two other occasions, however, they seemed to prefer the red. Halfdecayed leaves of the red variety and fresh leaves of the green were attacked about .CrrAP. I. 'l,IlEIR SENSES. 33 equally. When leaves of the cabbage, horseradish (a favourite food) and of the onion were given together, the latter were always and manifestly preferred. Leaves of tJ1e cabbaO'e '5 ' lime-tree, Ampelopis, parsnip (Pastinaca ), and celery (Apium) were likewise given together; and those of the celery were first eaten. But when leaves of cabbage, turnip, beet, celery, wild cherry and carrots were given together, the two latter kinds, especially .those of the carrot, were preferred to all the others, including those of celery. It was also manifest · after many trials that wild ehorry leaves were greatly preferred to those of the limetree and haze] (Corylus). .According to Mr. Bridgman the half-decayed loaves of P!tlox verna are particularly liked by worms.* Pieces of the leaves of cabbage, turnip, horse-radish and onion were 1 ft on the pots during 22 days, and were all attacked and had to be renewed; but during tl1o whole of this time loaves of an A.rtemisia ancl of t~e culinary sage, thyme and mint, n1inglod With the above leaves, wore quite neglected excepting those of the mint, wl1iclt were occa~ •' The Zoologist,' vol. vii. l,''lD, p. ~i57G. D |