LUMBRICUS, in natural history, the earth-worm, a genus of the Vermes bites tina : body round, annulate, with general ly an elevated fleshy belt near the head, mostly rough, with minute concealed prickles, placed longitudinally, and fur nished with a lateral aperture. Gmelin has enumerated sixteen species, of which we shall notice the following : L. terristris, dew-worm ; body red, with eight rows of prickles ; there are two varieties, one being as long again as the other. It in-. habits decayed wood, and the common soil, which, by perforating, it renders fit to receive rain ; devours the cotyledons of young, plants, and wanders about in the night ; is the food of moles, and.various birds. It is said to have about one hun dred and forty rings ; head taper ; mouth at the end, round; fore-part of the worm cylindric, the rest depressed; at about one third of its length is a prominent an nulated belt ; on each side of the a row of minute spines, distinguishable only by the touch, but which are of aid to their motion. L. marinus, the back with two rows of bristly tubercles. This species inhabits the shores of the sea, where it buries itself deep in the sand, leaving a little rising with an aper tu•e on the surface, and is used as a bait for fish. Body pale red, round and an
nulate, with greater and lesser rings ; the first prominent, with two opposite tufts of short bristles on each; the lower part smooth. L. vermicularis, body white, with two rows of prickles ; inhabits the wet and decayed trunks of trees, and among moist leaves, moving very expeditiously in humid places, but twisting itself up in dry ones : body polished, glabrous. L. edulis, body whitish flesh-coloured; sub clavate behind, dilated and papillous be fore ; mouth terminal, and surrounded with a very villose rim or wrinkle. It in habits the sandy shores of the islands in the Indian ocean ; nearly a foot long, and about as thick as a goose quill ; buries it self about a foot or more deep in the sand, and is eaten by the Chinese : the rings between the villous part and the hinder end 273, and separated by an annular stria ; the hind part bulbous, with a dou ble papilla; the fore-part beset with nu merous flesh-coloured ones, disposed in transverse rows.