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.
Aug. 26th, 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 rain-water 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 neighbouring
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.
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