That all animals which feed on various substances possess the sense of
taste, is a wise presumption. This is certainly the case with worms.
Cabbage leaves are much liked by worms, and it would seem that they
are able to distinguish between the different varieties, but this may
perhaps be owing to differences in their texture. When leaves of the
cabbage, horse-radish and onion were given together, they manifestly
preferred the last to the others. Celery is preferred to the leaves of
the cabbage, lime-tree, ampelopsis and parsnip, and the leaves of the
wild cherry and carrots, especially the latter, to all the others.
That the worms have a preference for one taste over another, is still
further shown from what follows. Pieces of the leaves of cabbage,
turnip, horse-radish and onion have been fed to the worms, mingled with
the leaves of an Artemisia and of the culinary sage, thyme and mint,
differing in no material degree in texture from the foregoing four, yet
quite as strong in taste, but the latter were quite neglected excepting
those of the mint, which were slightly nibbled, but the others were all
attacked and had to be renewed.
There is little to be noted about the mental qualities of worms. They
have been seen to be timid creatures. Their eagerness for certain
kinds of food manifestly shows that they must enjoy the pleasure of
eating. So strong is their sexual passion that they overcome for a time
their dread of light. They seem to have a trace of social feeling, for
they are not disturbed by crawling over each other’s bodies, and they
sometimes lie in contact. Although remarkably deficient in the several
sense-organs, yet this does not necessarily preclude intelligence, for
it has been shown that when their attention is engaged they neglect
impressions to which they would otherwise have attended, and attention,
as is well known, indicates the presence of a mind of some kind. A few
actions are performed instinctively, that is, all the individuals,
including the young, perform each action in nearly the same manner.
The various species of Perichæta eject their castings so as to
construct towers, and the burrows of the Common Earth-worm--_Lumbricus
terrestris_--are smoothly lined with fine earth and often with little
stones, and the mouth with leaves. One of their strongest instincts is
the plugging up of the mouths of their burrows with various objects,
the very young worms acting in a similar manner. But some degree of
intelligence is manifested, as will subsequently appear.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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