From Horace Darwin   4 September 1880

Worms.

In a bare place in fir woods rather higher up the valley than Zermatt (Zermatt is 5300 ft. above the sea) I found worm castings.¹ Owing to the dryness of the ground and the powderiness of the castings it was difficult to be sure that they were wormcastings, but in some cases I was sure, but I should like to have seen some recent ones. They seemed to be in large quantities, but of this I could not be sure, as I could recognise them only in a few cases.

This was the only place in which I found any traces. I have looked carefully in the fields. I will observe more & especially after rain. The guide evidently knew earth worms & said they existed up as high as this²