The Formation of Vegetable Mould Through the Action of Worms: With Observations on Their Habits — John Shaqi
The Formation of Vegetable Mould Through the Action of Worms: With Observations on Their HabitsDarwin, Charles
Science
The Formation of Vegetable Mould Through the Action of Worms: With Observations on Their Habits
Darwin, Charles
Earthworms; Humification; Soils
Although worms cannot be said to possess the power of vision, their
sensitiveness to light enables them to distinguish between day and night;
and they thus escape extreme danger from the many diurnal animals which
prey on them. Their withdrawal into their burrows during the day
appears, however, to have become an habitual action; for worms kept in
pots covered by glass plates, over which sheets of black paper were
spread, and placed before a north-east window, remained during the
day-time in their burrows and came out every night; and they continued
thus to act for a week. No doubt a little light may have entered between
the sheets of glass and the blackened paper; but we know from the trials
with coloured glass, that worms are indifferent to a small amount of
light.
Worms appear to be less sensitive to moderate radiant heat than to a
bright light. I judge of this from having held at different times a
poker heated to dull redness near some worms, at a distance which caused
a very sensible degree of warmth in my hand. One of them took no notice;
a second withdrew into its burrow, but not quickly; the third and fourth
much more quickly, and the fifth as quickly as possible. The light from
a candle, concentrated by a lens and passing through a sheet of glass
which would intercept most of the heat-rays, generally caused a much more
rapid retreat than did the heated poker. Worms are sensitive to a low
temperature, as may be inferred from their not coming out of their
burrows during a frost.
Worms do not possess any sense of hearing. They took not the least
notice of the shrill notes from a metal whistle, which was repeatedly
sounded near them; nor did they of the deepest and loudest tones of a
bassoon. They were indifferent to shouts, if care was taken that the
breath did not strike them. When placed on a table close to the keys of
a piano, which was played as loudly as possible, they remained perfectly
quiet.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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