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Show 186 BURIAL OF TIIE REMAINS CrrAP. IV. ing near the snrface. It is very improbable that worms should have migrated frorn the adjoining field into the small space of the atrium, after the superficial mould in which they prefer to live, had been removed. We may therefore conclude that the burrows and the castings which were seen here during the ensuing seven weeks were the work of the former inhabitants of the space. I will now give a few extracts from Mr. Farrer's notes. .A.ug. 213th, 1877; that is, five days after the floor had been cleared. On the previous night there had been some heavy rain, which washed the surface clean, and now the mouths of forty burrows were counted. Parts of the concrete were seen to be solid, and had never been penetrated by worms, and here the rainwater lodged. Sept. 5th.-Tracks of worms, made during the previous night, could be seen on the surface of the floor, and five or six vermiform castings had been thrown up. These were defaced. Sept. 12th.-During the last six days, the worms have not been active, though many castings have been ejected in the neighbour- CHAP. IV. OF ANCIENT BUILDINGS. 187 ing fields; but on this day the earth was a little raised over the mouths of the burrows, or castings were ejected, at ten fresh points. These were defaced. It should be understood that when a fresh burrow is spoken of, this generally means only that an old burrow has been re-opened. Mr. Farrer was repeatedly struck with the pertinacity with which the worms re-opened their old burrows, even when no earth was ejected from them. I have often observed the same fact, and generally the mouths of the burrows are protected by an accumulation of pebbles, sticks or leaves. Mr. Farrer likewise observed that the worms living beneath the floor of the atrium often collected· coarse grains of sand, and such little stones as they could find, round the mouths of their burrows. Sept. 13th; soft wet weather. The mouths of the · burrows were re-opened, or castings were ejected, at 31 points; these were all defaced. Sept. 14th; 34 fresh holes or castings; all defaced. Sept. 15th; 44 fresh holes, only 5 castings; all defaced. |
