44 GENERATION OF INSECTS 



flesh of bulls. The learned Father Honore Fabri, whose 

 famous works will never be buried in the gloom of ob- 

 livion, reiterates this belief in his book on the " Genera- 

 tion of Animals." I could name many more if I were 

 not summoned to answer the reproof of some persons 

 who sharply remind me of the account given in the four- 

 teenth chapter of the Book of Judges, where Samson 

 having killed a lion, down in the vineyards of Timnath, 

 on going afterwards to view the carcass, found in it a 

 beautiful swarm of bees, that had already built their 

 honey-combs therein. From this source comes also the 

 statement of Thomas Moufet, in his work on insects, 

 that some bees are born in the flesh of bulls, which are 

 called Tavpoy€V€i<s and others in the flesh of lions, 

 called on that account AcovTToycvcis, and that these last 

 are the better race, being stronger and more courageous, 

 for they inherit ferocity from their parent and do not 

 fear if irritated to attack men and to kill animals of all 

 kinds; hence Aristotle and Pliny bear witness that even 

 horses have been slain by them. For this reason in the 

 Holy Scriptures the strongest and most terrible enemies 

 are often compared to bees. In Isaiah we read : " The 

 Lord shall hiss for the bee, that is in the land of Assyria," 

 which was thus interpreted by Chaldseus : *' The Lord 

 will give voice to the armies, that are as strong as bees, 

 and will lead them to the borders of the land of As- 

 syria." Rabbi Salomon, explaining this passage, says: 

 " He will call the bees, that is, an army of strong men, 

 who will inflict wounds like bees." This difliculty was 

 considered by the erudite Samuel Bochart in his treatise 

 on the animals of the Bible, where he wisely says that the 

 story of finding bees in the lion's carcass is true enough, 

 but that it is no reason for the conclusion that they were 



