The second stone was larger than the one just described, viz., 67 inches in length, 39 in breadth, and 15 in thickness.  The lower surface was nearly flat, so that the worms must soon have been compelled to eject their castings beyond its circumference.  The stone as a whole had sunk about 2 inches into the ground.  At this rate it would have required 262 years for its upper surface to have sunk to the general level of the field.  The upwardly sloping, turf-covered border round the stone was broader than in the last case, viz., from 14 to 16 inches; and why this should be so, I could see no reason.  In most parts this border was not so high as in the last case, viz., from 2 to 21/2 inches, but in one place it was as much as 51/2.  Its average height close to the stone was probably about 3 inches, and it thinned out to nothing.  If so, a layer of fine earth, 15 inches in breadth and 11/2 inch in average thickness, of sufficient length to surround the whole of the much elongated slab, must have been brought up by the worms in chief part from beneath the stone in the course of 35 years.  This amount would be amply sufficient to account for its having sunk about 2 inches into the ground; more especially if we bear in mind that a good deal of the finest earth would have been washed by heavy rain from the castings ejected on the sloping border down to the level of the field.  Some fresh castings were seen close to the stone.  Nevertheless, on digging a large hole to a depth of 18 inches where the stone had lain, only two worms and a few burrows were seen, although the soil was damp and seemed favorable for worms.  There were some large colonies of ants beneath the stone, and possibly since their establishment the worms had decreased in number.

The third stone was only about half as large as the others; and two strong boys could together have rolled it over.  I have no doubt that it had been rolled over at a moderately recent time, for it now lay at some distance from the two other stones at the bottom of a little adjoining slope.  It rested also on fine earth, instead of partly on brick-rubbish.  In agreement with this conclusion, the raised surrounding border of turf was only 1 inch high in some parts, and 2 inches in other parts.  There were no colonies of ants beneath this stone, and on digging a hole where it had lain, several burrows and worms were found.

At Stonehenge, some of the outer Druidical stones are now prostrate, having fallen at a remote but unknown period; and these have become buried to a moderate depth in the ground.  They are surrounded by sloping borders of turf, on which recent castings were seen.  Close to one of these fallen stones, which was 17 feet long, 6 feet broad, and 281/2 inches thick, a hole was dug; and here the vegetable mould was at least 91/2 inches in thickness.  At this depth a flint was found, and a little higher up on one side of the hole a fragment of glass.  The base of the stone lay about 91/2 inches beneath the level of the surrounding ground, and its upper surface 19 inches above the ground.