February 2 , 1874. SCIENCE. T h e Mystery of W o r m s in Rain. THEi n y s t e r i o~~s ;Ljlpe;u-;Lilce of earth ~roi-ms a t certain times and places illentioned b)-Mr. Charles 13, Paliiler in Scz'ei~re, No. 570, is easily explained, it seems t o me, by close observation of t h e vorins under iavoral~le conditions. Several of his queries a r e ~IISTT-el-ec! iiiore or less directly hq* t h e followillg quotation from t h e iiianuscril~t of a little book on allinla1 studies vihich I preparcd

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... -a1 years ago, but which was never published : " Tlie t i m e was in May dui-illg very rainy v e a t h e r . 'i'lle best place for observation x a s a portioli of t h c lawn oveiwliich eai-th had recentlq-been spi-cad sevei-a1 inches deep. T h e bare gi-ound of a garden which had not beell disturbed since last year was alniost as good.