thrown up either in one night or in two. Where the ground in Bengal is
dry, as under large trees, castings of a different kind are found in vast
numbers: these consist of little oval or conical bodies, from about the
1/20 to rather above 1/10 of an inch in length. They are obviously
voided by a distinct species of worms.
The period during which worms near Calcutta display such extraordinary
activity lasts for only a little over two months, namely, during the cool
season after the rains. At this time they are generally found within
about 10 inches beneath the surface. During the hot season they burrow
to a greater depth, and are then found coiled up and apparently
hybernating. Mr. Scott has never seen them at a greater depth than 21 2
feet, but has heard of their having been found at 4 feet. Within the
forests, fresh castings may be found even during the hot season. The
worms in the Botanic garden, during the cool and dry season, draw many
leaves and little sticks into the mouths of their burrows, like our
English worms; but they rarely act in this manner during the rainy
season.
Mr. Scott saw worm-castings on the lofty mountains of Sikkim in North
India. In South India Dr. King found in one place, on the plateau of the
Nilgiris, at an elevation of 7000 feet, a good many castings, which are
interesting for their great size. The worms which eject them are seen
only during the wet season, and are reported to be from 12 to 15 inches
in length, and as thick as a man s little finger. These castings were
collected by Dr. King after a period of 110 days without any rain; and
they must have been ejected either during the north-east or more probably
during the previous south-west monsoon; for their surfaces had suffered
some disintegration and they were penetrated by many fine roots. A
drawing is here given (Fig. 4) of one which seems to have best retained
its original size and appearance. Notwithstanding some loss from
disintegration, five of the largest of these castings (after having been
well sun-dried) weighed each on an average 89.5 grammes, or above 3 oz.;
and the largest weighed 123.14 grammes, or 41 3 oz., that is, above a
quarter of a pound! The largest convolutions were rather more than one
inch in diameter; but it is probable that they had subsided a little
whilst soft, and that their diameters had thus been increased. Some had
flowed so much that they now consisted of a pile of almost flat confluent
cakes. All were formed of fine, rather light-coloured earth, and were
surprisingly hard and compact, owing no doubt to the animal matter by
57