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Show 166 "WEIGHT OF EAR'l'H CrrA:P. III. curacy I can in1plicitly rely, offered to collect during a year all the castings thrown up on two separate square yards, near Leith IIil1 Place, in Surrey. The amount collected was, however, somewhat less than that originally ejected by the worms; for, as I have repeatedly observed, a good deal of the finest earth is washed away, whenever castings are thrown up during or shortly before heavy rain. Small portions also adhered to the surrounding blades of grass, and it required too much ti1ne to detach every one of them. On sandy soil, as in the present instance, castings are liable to crumble after dry weather, and particles were thus often lost. The lady also occasionally left home for a week or twoJ and at such times the castings must have suftered still greater loss frorn exposure to the weather. These losses were, however, compensated to some extent by the collections having Leon 1nade on one of the squares for four days, and on the other square for two days more than the year. A.. space was selected (October 9th, 1870) on a broad, grass-covered terrace, which had been mowed and swept during many years. It faced the south, but was shaded during CHAP. III. BUOUGIIT UP BY WORMS. 167 part of the day by trees. It had been formed at least a century ago by a great accumulation of small and large fragments of sandstone, together with some sandy earth, rammed down level. It is probable that it was at first protected by being covered with turf. This terrace, judging from the number of castings on it, was rather unfavourable for the existence of worms, in comparison with the neighbouring fields and an upper terrace. It was indeed surprising that as many worms could live here as were seen; for on digging a hole in this terrace, the black vegetable mould together with the turf was only four inches in thickness, beneath which lay the level surface of light-coloured sandy soil, with many fragments of sandstone. Before any castings were collected all the previously existing ones were carefully removed. rrhe last day's collection was on October 14th, 18 71. ~rhe castings were then well dried before a fire; and they weighed exactly 3-k lbs. This would give for an acre of similar land 7·56 tons of dry earth annually ejected by worms. The second square was marked on un- |