3 MAY 1957, Page 34

WONDERFUL WORMS 'The mystery of the cairns really is no

mystery,' says a Chichester reader who evidently rejects the theory that halictus bees made the holes in a Hampshire correspondent's gravel path. 'I have repeatedly seen the effect for many.years on a rockery or on a gravel path where the gravel was thin over ordinary soil,' he continues, 'but for a full account, look at Charles Darwin's Vegetable Mould and Earthworms, chapter 2, Habits of Worms, Cont'd. "Such heaps of smooth rounded pebbles may frequently be seen on gravel walks." He [Darwin] then gives a summary of an article in the Gardeners' Chronicle, March 28, 1868, by a lady who had watched worms at night at work collecting stones (up to 2 ozs, in weight). "What advantage the worms derive ... from piling stones, is doubtful." But Darwin suggests three possibilities—protection from enemies, ex- clusion of cold night air or maintenance of a damper atmosphere. The plugging-up process may serve for all these ptirposes. The idea of a worm's activities being attributed to a witch is amusing. Why not a fairy in the shape of a worm?' No, my whimsy ' cannot extend to make fairies of anything so earthy as worms, but the worm seems to have much more talent than I might have suspected. A Northern Ireland reader puts in a word for slugs and several other readers have offered suggestions that were enter- taining, and for which I thank them.