An earthworm digs a hole by pushing into the loose soil with its pointed head end which then

thickens,forcing the soil apart.slowly but surely,the worm draws the rest of its body up to disappear
into the hole.the earthworm can do this because its body has many narrow rings joined together by
a softer material that enables it to change shape.whenever the soil is too hard to be pushed
aside,the earthworm eats its way throught.

By burrowing into the soil,the earthworm creates channels and pockets into which air can enter.this
allows the soil to become oxygenated so that plant roots can breathe.in this way,earthworms act as
gardeners and cultivators of the soil.

A rain forest is a tropical forest wiith tall trees that are very close together,growing in an area where
it rains a lot.one kind of rain forest is called a temperate rain forest.

A temperate rain forest grows near the northwest coast of the united states.just a few kinds of
evergreen trees grow there.another kind of rain forest is a tropical rain forest.in fact,most the
word’s rain forests are tropical rain forests.

Tropical rain forests grow in warm places near earth’s equator.the equator is an imaginary line that
goes around the middle of the planet.there are tropical rain forests in central and south
amerika,afrika,and asia.the word’s largest rain forest is the amazon rain forest in south america.it is
always hot and the wet in a tropical rain forest.

Rain forests are devided into deferent layers.the ground in a rain forest is called the forest
floor.some plants living there get their food from dead plants.other plants on the ground eat insects.

The plant layer just above the forest is called the understorey.not much sunlight gets down to this
layer.young trees and plants that like low levels of light grow in the shady understorey.

The next layer is the canopy.medium-size trees grow in the canopy.most of the rain forest animals
live in the canopy.monkeys swing from branch to branch in the rain forests of central and south
america.

The top layer of the rain forest is called the emergent layer.

The tops of tall trees make up the emergent layer.they capture most of the sun and rainwater falling
on the forest.the emergent layer is thick and green.

Eucalyptus (eucalyptus globulus) is a tall evergreen tree native to australia and tasmania.today, most
commercial herbal prepartions originate in mediterranean and subtropical regions,including spain
and marocco.the leaves and of the eucalyptus plant are used for medicinal purposes.eucalyptus
leaves countain tanniss (which are believed to help reduce inflammation),flavonoids,and volatile
oils.eucalyptus oil consists of the volatile oil distiled from the fresh leaves and branch tops of the
eucalyptus tree.
There are many species of eucalyptus.some are the size of an ornamental shrub,and some grow to
be giant trees.the type of eucalyptus that is most often used medicinally is called blue gum or
australian fever tree.it can grow as high as 230 feet.its 4-12 inch leaves are dark green and shiny.

Topival ointments containing eucalyptus oil have been used in traditional aboriginal medicines to
heal wounds and fungal infections.teas containing eucalyptus leaves were also used to reduce
fevers.the therapwutic uses of eucalyptus soon spread to other traditional medicine
systems,including chinese,indian,and greco european.

Leeches are slimy woms with two suckers,a big one at the rear end and a smaller one at the
mouth.they also have powerful muscles which enable them to expand and contract their bodies.

Most leeches live off the blood of other creatures.a leech attaches itself to its victim by piercing its
skin and secretes a subtance which prevents the blood from clotting.then it sucks up the blood. As it
sucks, it expands so many times its normal size.

Once a leech atteches itself to its victim,it is very difficult to remove. However,if you put salt on it,it
soon falls off and dies.

May years ago, people belived that some diseases were caused because a patient had too much
blood in his/her body.

Doctors would then attach leeches on to the patient.some leeches,some leeches,in fact,were
specially bred for this purpose.

“marsupium” mean “pouch”, and a marsupial is an animal whose babies complete their
development in a pouch on its mother’s body. Kangaroos, koala bears and wallabies are the most
common marsupials,though marsupial bats and moles also exist.

When the baby marsupial is born, it is small and helpless.it finds its way,by instinct,to its mother’s
pouch. There it gets milk from its mother and grows steadily until it is large enough to leave the
pouch and fend for itself.

Marsupials developed before placental animals,which complete all their development inside the
mother’s womb.placental animals were better able to compete for food than marsupials. Marsupials
died out in most parts of the word. Once australia has become separated from the other
cotinents,placental animals could not easily prey on marsupials any more. This is why marsupials
have flourished in australia. Nevertheless, some are also found in america.

There are 80 different types of chameleons in the word, most of which are to be gound in
africa,south of the sahara desert. The common chamaleon ranges from the middle east, along the
north african coast to southern spain.
The chamaleon is a slow-moving lizard which hunts for insects among trees and undergrowth. One
of its peculiar features is its eyes, which are set in two conical sockets and can move independenttly
of one another. This enables the chameleon to look brhind with one eye and in front with the other.

Chameleon are well-know for their ability to change colour. The skin and body markings can change
colour to match the surroundings.among the plants,for example, the chameleon is very difficult to
spot among foliage.

When the chameleon spots an insect which it thinks would make afine meal,it shoots out a
long,sticky tongue and draws its prey back into its mouth.