In  the  book  of  1881  he  extended  his  observations  on  this,
burying  action,  and  devised  a  number  of  different  ways  of
checking  his  estimates  as  to  the  amount  of  work  done.*  He
also  added  a  mass  of  observations  on  the  habits,  natural  his-
tory and  intelligence  of  worms,  a  part  of  the  work  which
added  greatly  to  its  popularity.
In  1877  Sir  Thomas  Farrer  had  discovered  close  to  his
garden  the  remains  of  a  building  of  Roman-British  times,
and  thus  gave  my  father  the  opportunity  of  seeing  for  him-
self the  effects  produced  by  earthworms*  work  on  the  old
concrete-floors,  walls,  &c.  On  his  return  he  wrote  to'lftf
Thomas  Farrer  : —

"  I  cannot  remember  a  more  delightful  week  than  the  last.
I  know  very  well  that  E.  will  not  believe  me,  but  the  worms
were  by  no  means  the  sole  charm.'*

*  He  received  much  valuable  help  from  Dr.  King,  of  the  Botanical
Gardens,  Calcutta.  The  following  passage  is  from  a  letter  to  Dr.  King,
dated  January  18,  1873 : —

**  I  really  do  not  know  how  to  thank  you  enough  for  the  immense
trouble  which  you  have  taken.  You  have  attended  exactly  and  fully  to
the  points  about  which  I  was  most  anxious.  If  I  had  been  each  evening
by  your  side,  I  could  not  have  su^ested  anything  else."


394


MISCELLANEA.
[1877.
